


Mysteries and Mutual Killing

by Unironicdokis



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: (mostly implied i haven't made up my mind yet), Alternate Universe, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Despair Sisters, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Queer Protagonist, SHSL Swap, Sapphic protagonist, Talentswap, future genderqueer characters, ships are implied, talent swap, talentswap au, will continue to update tags!, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-12
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-12 02:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 72,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1180599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unironicdokis/pseuds/Unironicdokis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For something that was right up Mukuro's alley, these were not exactly the kind of mysteries that she looked forward to solving. Sure her classmates were—at least overall—rather nice, and the prospect of reuniting with her twin sister was something she had been waiting for with anticipation, but that only made her feel so much worse about her current predicament.</p><p>--</p><p>Talentswap au [reimagining of the game] | [spoiler] Ultimate Detective Mukuro protagonist | Despair Sisters | Mukuro/Makoto & Mukuro/Kyoko | recommend you don't read if you don't want spoilers!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Beware: Lots of dangan ronpa spoilers, particularly pertaining to my choice of protagonist. The victims and culprits will not be the same as in DR. Even if the ship is tagged, its probably going to be at most just heavily implied (edit: I lied, Mukuro/Kyoko is gonna be endgame) & none of them are very prominent until later. Hope you enjoy! (Literally the only reason this is in 1st person POV is because I want to mimic the style of the original game)
> 
> Edit: At the time I began this, there was hardly any Mukuro content. There's slightly more now, I would consider this a heavy re-imagining and re-interpretation of her character, her personality changing with the change in her environment.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the cast!

The building stood before me, taller and much more intimidating than I had imagined. The sun, climbing high in the sky as the day moved onward, caused it to cast a dark shadow over me as I looked upward. Kibougamine Academy, or as it more commonly known as, Hope's Peak... It was said that attending was a near guarantee for success in life. Students do not apply, they are recruited. Only the best of the best have the chance attend.

In a place like this, there had to be at least a few good mysteries worth solving. Naturally, as a good detective should, I had made sure to do plenty of research beforehand... The forums on the school website had all but ensured me that my class was full of all sorts of fascinating characters. An Ultimate Moral Compass rumored to be a pushover? A swimmer who does not attend a single practice? An Ultimate Good Luck who had marks more outstanding than the majority of these supposed gifted students? A gambler who's luck knows no bounds? What sort of secrets would I uncover at my stay here?

Well, at the very least, I knew I had one mystery worth uncovering. If truth be told, I had always been curious about my baby sister, but to think that she had grown up to become a Ultimate Pop Sensation was almost unfathomable. It had seemed too farfetched to be the truth, but she had just seemed so happy when she wrote to me. In her letter, she had sounded extremely excited to meet me, to go to school together. Of course, upon this new development, I did my usual poking around. The truth was never hidden from me for long, and as far as I could tell, it was, indeed, the truth.

Junko Enoshima, Ultimate Pop Sensation, was my younger twin sister.

I did not want to show it, but I was nervous. I was not used to caring so much about what others thought of me. The job of a detective was to be invisible. I would be professional and nothing more. Being impressive? It never seemed important before, but this was my sister after all—my family. I felt an new and unfamiliar desire to gain her approval.

What would she think of me? Would she be happy to have me as a big sister? Or would I be a disappointment?

Well, the only way to find out would be to press forward. New students were supposed to gather in the entrance hall at 8. I was a little early, but I decided it would be better to wait inside than out here, standing outside the gates like a lost child. I opened the large, intimidating double doors—fit for such a large, intimidating school—and took my first steps inside as I headed toward the entrance hall.

I took my first step into the empty room and then...

Everything went black.

When I woke, it was to the sight of an unfamiliar and otherwise empty classroom. It was dimly lit, but I could make out the steel plates bolted to the walls. Before confusion could fully set in, I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, a note. I picked it up, taking note of the hastily scribbled handwriting.

"Welcome to your new life at Hope's Peak Academy! Meet in the entrance hall at 8:00 for a welcoming ceremony! Don't be late!"

Strange.

Still deciding whether or not to comply with the mysterious and cryptic message, I checked the clock to find that it was already five after 8.

_Well, it's the only lead I've got so far._

Having no other indications of what was going on, I figured I better head over to the entrance hall.

\--

Outside the empty classroom, the corridors were dimly lit, giving them an ominous feel. It was silent except for for the sound of my footsteps against the tile floor. I walked slowly and cautiously, for fear of getting lost, but my tardiness did not escape me.

When I opened the door to the entrance hall, I was greeted by the faces of confused and disgruntled students. My curiosity had once again arisen. What was going on? Where these my classmates, the incoming 78th class?

The boy nearest to the door let out a relieved sigh, "Oh! Looks like that must be everyone then! So then... That makes 16 of us in total." He was short with messy brown hair and an ahoge, and he was dressed in a white uniform.

"Did you wake up in an empty classroom, too?" asked a tan girl with a high ponytail and knee brace.

The tall blonde next to her sneered. "Of course, we all did."

I didn't answer, too overwhelmed by the bombarding questions and new faces.

The first boy shook his head, obviously wanting to avoid any conflict. "Never mind that. Well..." He looked around. "I think since you're late introductions, must be in order." He held out his hand, smiling with a warmth reached his light green eyes, and was so genial it was almost comforting. "I'm Makoto Naegi, Ultimate Moral Compass. Pleased to meet you!"

I took his hand tentatively, nodding curtly. "Mukuro Ikusaba. Ultimate Detective."

He seemed nice enough, and it was a relief to know that despite the talent here, not all the students were quite so cutthroat. Still, I was hesitant to let down my guard too soon.

But there was something about the way he smiled.

"Neat!" said Makoto. "Well, I'd better give everyone else an opportunity to introduce themselves as well." And just like that, he was gone. Although I didn't want to admit it, I was slightly disappointed. After all, he seemed like a nice kid. However, he was shortly replaced by a boy with flaming red hair.

"Hey! The name's Leon Kuwata! Nice to meetcha." He flashed a grin.

_Leon Kuwata?_

"Wait, so _you're_ that prodigy swimmer everyone's been talking about?" I realized that my incredulous tone probably sounded rude, but his appearance had me taken aback. At first glance he hardly seemed to be the typical student athlete type. He was slim, with spiked hair and a goatee, wore a white jacket and shirt, and had many piercings. It walked the line between being cool and trying too hard. Then again, what did I really know about style? I certainly had none.

He seemed a bit put off by my response, as predicted. "Did you expect some revved up jock? Nah man, I hate swimming. That's why I came here, so I could have a fresh start."

I introduced myself as well. He seemed friendly if a little apathetic, but I was listening absentmindedly to him while he talked. Day one and he was already going into his dream of becoming a musician, but I didn't mind. He was telling me about his bass when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to face a gorgeous girl with long, silky blue hair, decorated with a large pink bow.

"Leon, give the girl a break, she just got here. Don't tell me you've already confessed that you hate swimming! You only just met her!" She giggled. "Pleased to meet you! I'm Sayaka Maizono!" Her uniform was modified—skirt on the shorter side with a loose tie around her neck, and... was that a bralette peaking through? Her clothes definitely made a statement. Something about her face seemed oddly familiar....

"I've seen you before!" My calm composure was broken as the realization hit me. I had definitely seen her somewhere. The long blue hair, the wide, earnest bright eyes, the delicate ivory skin. "You're all over the magazine covers! That would make you... Ultimate Fashionista?"

Sayaka laughed once more. "Guilty!"

She was certainly very enchanting. I was suddenly very self conscious of my own appearance, something I usually paid little mind. But in comparison to her, I did feel a bit like a shrinking violet. If she noticed my reservation, she ignored it.

Not wanting to spend too much time on any one person, I quickly moved onto the next student: a boy in blazer uniform over a green hoodie. He had heavy eyebrows in a perpetual scowl and short, inky-black hair. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mukuro Ikusaba! My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru, but you can call me Taka! Let us work together on our educational crusade!" His scowl shifted, and instead he had a huge, beaming smile. "You are the Ultimate Detective, are you not?" He spoke in an intense manner, loud and too the point, for a moment I was overwhelmed.

I managed a response. "That would be me." I racked my brain to see if that name rang any bells. "And you are... the Ultimate Lucky Student?"

He bristled. I seemed to have struck a nerve with him, and I couldn't help but wonder what I had done wrong. "Yes, I am the Ultimate Lucky Student. But I will have you know, Mukuro, that I fully intend to prove that I deserve a place at this school along with all the other talented students! It is shameful having to rely on such a thing as good luck." I wondered if it the glare was because he was annoyed or if his eyebrows were perpetually fixated into that intimidating scowl.

"Well, Taka—" before I could get in a word, I was interrupted by a booming voice.

"Taka? As in Kiyotaka Ishimaru?" A tall, muscular boy in a white tank and a jean vest came forward, sporting the most ridiculous haircut that I had ever seen. If truth be told, it held more of a resemblance to corn than to actual hair, since it was bleached on top and styled way too far in front of his face. It would have been laughable if fear of his reaction didn't hold me back. He seemed jovial enough, but it was better not to push my luck. "Mondo Owada, Ultimate Martial Artist."

His focus was more on Taka than myself although I must say I hardly minded. I wasn't particularly keen on diverting his attention.

At once, Taka became rather flustered. "That sounds familiar, but I—"

Well, whether Taka remembered Mondo or not, I certainly knew who he was. Checking out the forums, I noticed that Mondo had gained quite a reputation for himself as an mixed martial arts fighter, taking the title from his brother while still in his teens. The guy was strong, sure, but more than that, he was quick-thinking and good on his feet. However, his impulsiveness had gotten him into some trouble in a match or two, in addition to outside the ring. According to the discussion boards, the guy apparently had quite a temper. It was best not to piss him off. All discussions of him contained heavy warnings: do not cross him.

While I could see why someone would want to take heed, for the time being, Mondo remained in good spirits. He laughed, slapping him on the back, probably rather hard since it seemed to throw Taka off his center, his eyes bulging as he coughed. Catching a glance, I noticed Mondo's arms bore lots and lots of bandage tape. "What, ya don't remember me? Middle school? You're a sixer ain't ya? From Sixth Black Root Middle School, class two?"

Realization seemed to dawn over the other boy, and he suddenly seemed very embarrassed, going red in the face. "Yes, of course! How could I have possibly let it slip my mind."

Mondo turned to face me again, for once acknowledging my presence. "Ya should'a seen this kid! He had a competitive edge strong enough to rival mine!"

 _That would explain Taka's earlier behavior quite a bit..._ The guy certainly seemed eager to prove himself.

Mondo sighed, obviously disappointed about something. I was immediately on edge. I had a feeling that this guy was somebody I did not want to let down. "Aye... It's a shame. You're smaller than I remember, man. Looks like neither of ya are fit to be my sparring partner."

Well, it was disappointing for Mondo, maybe, but a relief for myself. Thankfully I was saved from having to respond by a voice that came from behind. "If you are in need of a sparring partner, perhaps I can be of assistance?"

I turned to face whoever had spoken, and to my surprise, it was a slender girl with long hair of an indiscernable silvery lavender color, dressed all in black. Her expression, completely devoid of emotion, was familiar to me.

It was an expression one learns to master when dealing with secrets. However, my job was secrets. I wondered what hers could be.

Before anyone could reply, she continued. "I know what you are thinking, but if I were you I would not hasty make judgements based solely on appearance." She turned to leave the conversation almost as suddenly as she had entered it, Mondo and Taka trying not to gawk. As she walked away, she said, in a voice quiet yet full of authority, "Kyoko Kirigiri, Ultimate Soldier. Looking forward to it."

I took a liking to her immediately.

A voice, male by the sound of it, and in a rather haughty tone, punctured the silence. "Is this going to take much longer, or are you planning to keep me waiting like this all morning?" It was the tall blonde in square specs to my right. His arms were crossed, his posture upright and defiant, his gaze scathing. He wore a button up shirt and tie under his black hoodie. Everything about him, from his broad shoulders to his cross expression to the large headphones around his neck, read "disdain."

I tried my best to remain polite. "Apologies if I have kept you waiting, but there are quite a lot of people in here to meet."

"Hmph." He seemed disgruntled. I waited from him continue, but he said nothing.

"Excuse me? I'm afraid I-"

"You are excused."

I was beginning to get fed up with this guy. "I don't believe I caught your name. Mukuro Ikusaba. And you are?" My tone was a little more forceful than was usually necessary, but he wasn't the only one whose patience was being tried.

"Bore someone else with your questions." He began to take his leave. "I'm done here. Byakuya Togami. Ultimate Programmer."

A petite girl with short hair approached me. She spoke to me in a feeble voice, so low that it was practically inaudible.

"Sorry, I didnt catch that?"

"Oh! I'm sorry... I said that it's nice to meet you. My name is Chihiro Fujisaki." She looked rather ashamed, I felt a little sorry for her.

Now that was a name that rang a bell. "Fujisaki? So that means you're the Ultimate Affluent Progeny? Heir to the entire Fujisaki Conglomerate?" This meek little girl was to inherit that economic superpower? What was up with these "Ultimate" titles, would calling her an "heir" really have been so difficult?

"I'm sorry... I'm not exactly what you were expecting, where you?" She looked close to tears.

"No, no, not at all!" I reassured her. "I'm just a little surprised. I expected the heir to the Fujisaki conglomerate to be more like Ultimate Prick over there." I nodded in Byakuya's direction.

To my delight, she giggled. Practically everything about her was adorable, from the multitudes of ruffles on her skirt to the suspenders to the impeccably tailored off-white cardigan. It was almost sickeningly sweet. "Thank goodness! I thought perhaps that you didn't like me!"

It had been quite some time since I had heard anything about the Fujisaki family. I knew they had a son, but I didn't remember anything about a daughter. The forums had very little information on Chihiro Fujisaki. She was rumored to be very brilliant and to have accumulated a fortune of her own, independent from her family company. Unlike most of the other Ultimates, she had been homeschooled for most of her life. However, apart from that, she mostly kept out of the public eye. Seeing her petite, fragile figure, I could see why.

While she was very nice, I parted ways in order to finish introductions.

I was wondering how much more we'd have to go through. All these over-the-top personalities were more than a little exhausting.

A reserved-looking girl in braids, a seifuku with an oversized skirt, and oversized, round glasses stuttered her introduction. "I'm T-Toko Fukawa... Ultimate Fanfic Creator..." She avoided my eyes, fiddling with the tie around her neck in a nervous gesture. Instead of traditional scarf or a bow, she wore a brightly patterned tie with assorted pins. Most were of shows I certainly did not recognize. "N-not that—not that you'll even bother t-to remember."

"Well, that's pretty presumptuous of you, don't you think?"

My response seemed to have caught her off guard. Her stuttering got worse, eyes wide. "Th-th-that's not what—that's not—that—that's not what I... W-Why are you—you asking m-me this? Is this an attack? It's b-b-because I'm ugly, isn't it? Not like a girl like you would have much room to talk..." She grit her teeth as she glared at me angrily.

Surprised by such sudden hostility, I made a mental note about saying anything she could possibly take the wrong way. Perhaps it was just bad first impressions, but the girl had a bit of a possible persecution complex, probably a good thing for me to want to remember. I quickly attempted to detach myself from her presence.

In my haste I accidentally bumped into a large boy with glasses, short brown hair, and a pointy ahoge. "Pardon me, Miss Mukuro Ikusaba. Allow me to introduce myself! Hifumi Yamada, Ultimate Writing Prodigy. You would do well to remember it." He smiled at me through puffy cheeks.

I quirked an eyebrow, mildly amused. Looks like I'd run into another ego. At least this one was polite enough...

"Hmm..." He scrutinized me, leaning in and squinting behind his thick-lensed glasses. "What sort of character are you, Miss Mukuro Ikusaba?... Black hair, impassive, humble appearance. You seem like the strong silent type!" He pointed a finger at me triumphantly. "A character as such would only feel at home in a noir murder mystery!"

I allowed myself a small chuckle. "Well, you aren't wrong."

He grinned, obviously pleased with himself.

"Sakura Ogami, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader." A tall, muscular girl with long white hair approached me next, shaking what was supposed to be my hand but felt more like my entire arm. 

I was pleasantly surprised. From my research, she was another one of those Ultimates most people warned to "Stay Away!", but she wasn't really what I had expected of a gang leader at all. At first glance she was intimidating, certainly, what with the scar across her face and large black leather coat, but she was actually very calm and reserved. However, I could see why she'd gained respect from her gang as well as other biker gangs through the country. She definitely had a commanding presence. Just her voice along commanded authority.

Another girl that had been chatting to Sakura introduced herself to me. She was a stark contrast to Sakura: smiling, tan, curvy and muscular, athletic in both build and attire, and very pretty, with a pony tail that practically defied gravity. "Hiya! I'm Aoi Asahina, Ultimate All Star! But my friends just call me Hina." Her talent would not have been difficult to guess. Simply put, she was quite a ball of energy.

"Hehe... What was your name again? Must've slipped my mind," asked Hina.

I smiled patiently as I responded. She frowned and mutterred something quietly to herself, apparently deep in thought. I decided to leave her to whatever she was doing and that I'd better be on my way.

Sakura Ogami and Aoi Asahina  were definitely two names I recognized. As an athletic star, I could see why recruiting Hina was a must. What had puzzled me was why the school would recruit an outlaw biker, even the best one in the country. In the end I figured the school must have its reasons and decided not to dwell on it further.

Hina on the other hand was a figure growing in popularity in the sports crowd, it was not a surprise to me at all that she was here. She and Leon seemed to be clumped together a lot and labeled "rising stars". While Leon Kuwata was the prodigy swimmer, Aoi Asahina was famous for being dedicated as well as multi-talented. Their good looks didn't hurt either, what with their rising popularity. Hina, after years of jumping from sport to sport, finally settled on softball, earning her the title "Ultimate All Star". While everyone was anticipating for Leon to eventually compete in the Olympics (something that seemed more and more like a dwindling possibility after my conversation with him), Hina was already being scouted for the big leagues.

My train of thought was interrupted by a female voice. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. My eyes fell upon a deathly pale girl with red eyes and impossibly long black hair with severe bangs. She wore an elegant, flowy, loose dress consisting of many layers and fabrics. She looked just like the animatronics in those glass boxes, the ones that supposedly tell your future. "Greetings, Mukuro Ikusaba. My name is Celestia Ludenberg, but you may call me Celeste." Her smile, while on the surface appeared perfectly normal, had a strange eerie feel to it.

"Pleased to meet you." I decided not to address the foreign-sounding name. That would be a question for later, if at all. It probably would've been in poor taste to ask right off the bat.

"The pleasure is all mine," said Celeste. "I am the Ultimate Clairvoyant, as you probably already guessed. Would you care to know your fortune, Miss Ikusaba? I see quite interesting things in your future." She giggled behind her hand, the nails black and filed into sharp points, her slender fingers covered in rings. The sound was positively unnerving.

Next was a boy with dreads that stuck out in practically every direction. Judging by his face and barest trace of stubble on his chin, he was probably much older than the other students. His black coat hung loosely over his shoulders, and was embroidered in great detail. His entire existence looked as if it disobeyed the laws of physics. "Hey! I'm Hiro Hagakure. Just Hiro though, 'right? Good ta meet you, Mukuro! Ultimate Gambler, that's me! Take it easy, I know I will!" He grinned hugely.

He was yet another familiar name. Hiro Hagakure, high school student who was known for robbing thousands, even millions away from unlucky gamblers in a single night. He was quite infamous in the underworld for leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. One of the more ridiculous rumors claimed he'd never lost a single bid. The strategy he used to leave everyone in the dust was a topic discussed at length within the forums. No matter how much discussion and thought was put into it, not a single person could figure it out.

He was truly a curious case for me. One of the few students who had already managed to spark my interest. Oh, the questions in store...

"Ultimate Gambler, is that even legal?"

He laughed. It was loud and boisterous, shoulders shaking up and down. He was absolutely jovial. "It is for me, dude! I'm twenty! Not that it even stopped me much before, yeah?"

_A twenty year old still in high school?_

"Aye, well don't say it like that..." He sighed in dismay. "The way I see it, this school is my chance to start over, yeah?"

I hadn't realized that I had spoken my thoughts out loud. Before I could stop myself, I flushed a light shade of pink, thoroughly embarrassed. I muttered a quiet apology, wanting to sink right through the floor and disappear. However, he seemed hardly phased by my words or embarrassment, his good nature hardly deterred at all. Nevertheless, I excused myself to go, trying desperately to regain my composure.

I heard a girl's voice behind me. An unfamiliar voice. The sixteenth voice. The last student I had yet to meet.

"So, sis, what on earth took you so long?"

I turned.

"Junko? Junko Enoshima?"

She laughed, the sound was pleasant and melodious. She was absolutely enchanting. "That's right! And you're my big sis, Mukuro Ikusaba! Don't tell me that I'm mistaken, that'd be embarrassing."

Somehow she managed to be simultaneously intimidating and yet completely charming. Her appearance seemed to be taken straight from the cover of a magazine or an idol book: pink hair; wide blue eyes; a white, even smile; porcelain skin. She was just the ideal Ultimate Pop Sensation. Such a contrast to my own appearance: heavily-hooded eyes—despite them being the same shade of blue; my short, black and bob-cut—practical but plain; and lastly my sallow complexion, appropriate only for an Ultimate Detective.

Before I knew it, I was being crushed in a tight hug. "I've always wanted a big sister! It's so good to finally meet you!"

I smiled awkwardly as I tried to return the hug, "It's nice to finally meet you as well. It has been quite some time." As pleased as I was to meet her as well, I'd never been good at handling affection—not that I received much in the first place.

Before the two of us could even attempt to catch up on all those years we'd spent apart, a high pitched noise rang throughout the room, painfully sharp to the ears. "Mic test, Mic test."

Looking around the entrance hall I could see the same anxious and perplexed look on everybody's faces.

"What's going on?" asked Junko, her tone hushed.

I shook my head in response, unsure myself.

The voice came again, only now we could detect that the source was from the speakers set up in the corners of the hall. "There is an assembly in the gym. Everybody head there straight away!"

\--

It did not take long for the sixteen of us to congregate in the gym. We all waited anxiously, looking around and some of us speaking in hushed whispers about our suspicions.

We were all beginning to get rather antsy, waiting for something—anything—to happen when at last...

 _Something_ sprang out from behind the podium. Black and white, rather small, and looking exactly like a teddy bear, it would have been completely comical under normal circumstances. Instead, I only had chills.

"A toy bear?" Makoto asked the question that surely was on everyone's mind. His confusion and anxiety was apparent on his face, mirroring the rest of our expressions.

"I'm not a toy! I'm Monokuma, your new headmaster!" The voice came from the _thing_ standing at the podium, whatever it was. Ridiculous, high-pitched,  & almost amusing, as if from a cartoon. Instead, it was grating.

Several of the students gasped.

"The stuffed toy talks?" cried Hifumi.

However, some students, like Byakuya and Kyoko, remained completely impassive.

"I told you, I'm not a toy! Listen up, you bastards! This school is way too boring. We're doing things a little differently." It's single red eye flashed dangerously.

"Who are you? What is the meaning of this?" Kyoko's voice, cold and intimidating, broke through the silence, the one person brave enough to challenge him.

"I told you, I'm Monokuma! I'm the headmaster of this school, and I have a very important announcement. Starting this semester, you guys are going to be spending the rest of your lives here."

_What?_

My thoughts were echoed aloud by several people in the room. Looking around, I could see the anxious expressions of nearly everyone.

"Ahaha, good one!" Hiro laughed, and some of the others shot him disbelieving looks. Perhaps he did believe it, but deep down the sound wasn't convincing.

Truly, it seemed too outlandish to be true, yet something about the bear's behavior, despite his light, airy tone, told us that he was completely serious.

It spoke in an irritated tone. "I am serious! Welcome to the rest of your lives! Unless of course, you want to graduate."

"G-graduate?" Next voice to speak up was Toko's nervous stutter.

"Yes! In order to graduate, you have to kill someone!"

Dead silence. At last, Chihiro asked in a quiet, feeble voice, "Kill each other? But—"

"Cutting, stabbing, smashing, burning, poisoning, choking, doesn't matter how! All that matters is that in order to leave this place, that's what you have to do! As long as you don't get caught of course." Monokuma was positively gushing with excitement. It was nauseating.

"Ey, what the fuck do ya think you're playing at? Cut the crap with this sick joke!" Mondo clenched his fists, his jaw set in anger.

"Joke? Are you sure you aren't referring to your hair?" Monokuma asked, in such an innocent tone that would have been laughable under different circumstances.

Mondo face began to burn red in embarrassment and frustration. But as his hulking figure approached Monokuma, his rage was legitimately terrifying. In that moment, I could've believed every single terrifying rumor about him. No doubt I was right in assuming he was not someone to cross. "Listen here, you—"

He was cut off by Makoto, who had, either bravely or foolishly, stepped up and was barring the way between Monokuma and the fighter with a panicked look on his face. "Mondo, please! Let's not overreact! We must'n't fight!"

It occurred to me then just how much smaller Makoto was than Mondo.

Unfortunately for Makoto, Mondo seemed far from calmed. Rather than mellowing out, his attention simply averted from Monokuma to the hall monitor, "You tryna tell me what to do kid?" He practically screamed in the kid's face.

Makoto waved his arms frantically in front of him, trying to backtrack. "No! No, that's not what I—"

Before anyone realized exactly what had happened, Mondo punched Makoto so hard he fell to the ground, clearly blacked out.

"At least it was a short trip to the ground," I heard Junko say quietly, snickering. I considered chastising her, but in the end, I let it go, too shocked to truly have the voice to speak.

"Makoto!" Sayaka rushed to his side.

"What the hell is your problem?" asked Hina indignantly, glaring at Mondo.

Before he could respond, Monokuma's laugh rang throughout the hall. "Puhu! Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu! How exciting! Look, if you bastards are really so resigned to spending the rest of your lives here, then why don't you just kill somebody?"

"Forget it! Nobody here is killing anyone!" Hina stood defiantly before the small bear.

He stopped laughing. "Is that so? Well, we'll see, won't we?" His red eye flashed dangerously once more. "Listen, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, assembly's nearly over! I've provided you all with special electronic ID cards just for you. On them you'll find all the rules and regulations, make sure to read them carefully. Breaking a school rule can lead to the need for drastic measures to enforce school policy." He raised his paw, unveiling three sharp claws. "And we wouldn't want that, would we?" He laughed once more, and with that, he jumped back behind the podium and was gone.

For a painfully long moment, there was nothing but silence. At last, it was broken by Sayaka, her voice tremulous. "S-so what now?"

For a minute, no one said a word. Then, "Isn't it obvious? We wait for someone to die." The answer, cold and matter-of-fact, came from none other than Byakuya Togami.

The chilling words sent a shiver up my spine.

"How can you say that?" Hina's anxious voice was loud in the fearful silence.

"We cannot simply rule out the possibility, no matter how much we may wish to," stated Kyoko, calm and rational and cool under pressure.

Chihiro sniffed. "This is awful, how are we ever going to escape this place?" she said, her voice cracking as if she where near the brink of tears.

"Don't worry Chihiro, I'm sure the cops are out searching for us," said Sayaka in an attempt to comfort her.

Byakuya scoffed. "You're seriously going to rely on the cops?"

"I-I'm sorry, I..." Chihiro stuttered.

"Hey, leave the kid alone!" Mondo snapped, his temper firing up again. "Want me to teach you a lesson?"

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Yes, exercise more pointless violence. That's sure to be extremely productive."

"Mondo, relax. Chihiro is fine, and Byakuya is right. We don't need anymore trouble." For being a fairly small girl, Kyoko's presence commanded a lot of authority.

Byakuya turned away, heading towards the exit. "I've heard enough. You people are making my head hurt, it positively boggles the mind." He left without another word.

I could see that Mondo and Hina were seething. Hina even moved to follow him, but Sakura Ogami put a warning hand on Hina's shoulder. "Just let him be for now." Hina grit her teeth in frustration, but relented nonetheless.

Leon piped up. "Uh, guys? I'm skimming through the rules, and what do you think number 5 means? 'If he is not betrayed by his classmates'?"

Celeste answered, also clicking through her e-handbook. "I should think that it means that the culprit cannot let anyone else find out about the murder." She answered so casually, it felt out of place associated with such a dark topic.

"Yeah but... They—whoever 'they' even is—don't seriously expect us to kill each other, right? Surely nobody here is that desperate... right?"

"Even if it isn't meant to be serious, there could be someone stupid enough to believe it... and desperate enough to try." Celestia's words were harsh, but we all knew it was the uncomfortable truth.

Silence. I decided I would be the one first one to break it.

"Well then, what do you suppose we should do?"

Her response was unnaturally cheerful. "Why adapt of course!" She smiled. "I'm certain we can manage to live together without any issues, I do hate it when I predict misfortune." She sighed, her positive attitude shifting almost immediately to one of resignation.

Hifumi sighed as well, saying sullenly, "I always felt that I was written into the wrong story. Now it turns out I've been plopped right into the setting right out of a murder mystery novel, but it is not nearly as exciting and adventurous as I had hoped."

"Be quiet! This isn't one of your romance novels, this is real," Toko snapped. She clapped her hands over her ears, shaking her head, eyes closed, muttering to herself. "This isn't happening... This isn't happening... This isn't happening.. Why me..." Her breathing was getting rapid.

"Toko, there's no need to be like that," said Sayaka, moving to comfort. "I realize that our situation may not be ideal, but arguing—" Sayaka was cut off by more of Toko's shrill hysterics.

"No shit! I don't need an airhead like you pointing out the obvious. Ideal? Our situation is far from ideal, it's despicable, it's heinous, it's crueler than cruel."

Surprisingly, it was not Sayaka but Leon whose temper had been ignited like a fuse. "Hey, what's the idea? Say that to her again, I dare you."

"Enough."Kyoko's voice, usually quiet, was heard loud and clear throughout the entire gym. It had a note of finality to it that heavily implied not to challenge her. "All this arguing is pointless."

"'Right... So then what are we gonna do with 'Koto, here?" asked Hiro, nodding in the figure's direction. He was still on the floor.

"Yeah, I mean we can't exactly just leave him laying here, can we?" inquired my sister from where she stood beside me, hands on her hips.

I thought it over. "I think the best thing for us to do would be to just have someone take him somewhere to rest. I'm assuming since this is Hopes Peak Academy, we more than likely have rooms."

"Yeah!" said Hina. "There's a whole row of dorms with nameplates! I passed 'em by not too long ago, on the way here!"

I nodded. "Not to mention, Monokuma did say that we would be staying here for... quite some time. Surely there must be proper accommodations."

"I'll take him," said Mondo, raising a hand. Perhaps I imagined it, but I could have sworn I detected a hint of embarrassment coupled with shame in his voice.

Kyoko shook her head. "You've done enough. I'll take him."

"I'll go with you," I said, and she nodded ever so slightly at me in acknowledgement.

Taka held up a hand as if to say "wait". "Also! Before you leave, I propose that we should all split up and search the building for a way out. Or at the very least for clues. Does everyone know where the cafeteria is? We should meet there in an hour." He checked his watch. "So at 9:30 we meet in the cafeteria to discuss our findings. Also it would probably be best if we stay in groups."

Everyone murmured in agreement.

My eyes were met by Junko's. She put on a brave face—as a celebrity I'm sure she was probably used to that—but I sensed that she was not as okay as was letting on. Our reunion had certainly been very different from what we had anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to make this somewhat interactive with my audience, so feedback is very important! You guys get to have input on who mukuro spends free time with, as well as any ships that you can feel are being implied, i will take into account your input on which direction I should go with them. Just a warning there will probably be some untagged ships because I want to keep you guys surprised. I will tag them once the ship is actually introduced into the story.
> 
> Also if I didn't go as much into detail about everything as they did in DR, its because I know you all read the original and know the basics, hope that doesn't bother anyone.
> 
> I'll be updating soon.


	2. Chapter 1.1: The First (Un)official Class Meeting

The walk to the dorms with Kyoko was a quiet one. I hadn't really expected anything else. I was fairly surprised that she was able to carry Makoto so easily, but admittedly also a little impressed. While he was a pretty small person, it was still a lot of weight; however, it seemed that she was able to carry him with hardly an issue at all.

The room was not hard to find. The hall was bright red, and each door was labelled with the name of a student as well as an accompanying picture for good measure. Using his electroID as the room key, we were able to enter the room with his name and lay him on the bed. The room was red like the halls and sparse in decoration with plain-looking furniture that included a matching wooden desk and drawers. A small monitor was built into the wall and in the corner of the room was another camera. The room's most distinguishable feature was the fact that steel plates were bolted to the wall, just like the ones in the empty classroom.

Makoto made a small noise of discomfort as he was laid on the bed. I decided that I should probably check on him before we assembled in the cafeteria, to make sure he was ok. If he wasn't awake by then, I would inform him about the meeting's content later. At the moment, it was more important that he was safe.

"Thank you for accompanying me," said Kyoko.

I nodded in response. "Since we're already together, let's just stick together while we investigate, ok?" While I preferred investigating alone most of the time, I wanted to comply with the agreement.

"Actually I'd better be going now—"

"Do you have some sort of private business to attend to? The agreement was to stick together," I said, my tone a little harsher than I had intended.

While I'd liked her at the start, I didn't know how I felt about the whole lone wolf act.

"It's nothing... Forget about it." Perhaps it was just my imagination, but she seemed on edge. But when I met her eyes, I saw none of that. She was back to her normal impassive demeanor. "Have you seen the locked corridors? There's one right down the hall."

I shook my head. "I didn't have the time. I was already late to begin with."

She nodded. "I'll show you." Without a glance back, she walked out of the room, undoubtably expecting me to follow behind.

I kept pace alongside her although her stride was surprisingly quick for high-heeled boots. It was silent except for the click of shoes against what was the same tile floor as in the other hallways. The, once again, dimly lit halls were not exactly inviting for the prospect of friendly conversation.

She lead me to the end of a short corridor. It was barred from access, but you could see right through the metal screen to the other side. However, there wasn't much _to_ see. It just lead somewhere we could not go. Perhaps I was getting my hopes up, but could it have been a way out?

"There's another another area like this next to the gym, but it leads up the stairwell," said Kyoko. "Would you like to see that one as well?"

"I'll take your word for it." I peered through the cage. There was no indication of anything suspicious, but I still ached to know what was behind this barrier. "And there's no way past?" I turned to look at her. She shook her head. "Do you think either is a way out?"

She shook her head again, pulling out a folded piece of paper. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a map of the school. "As far as I can tell, the only exit is through the entrance hall." She pointed to where it was located on the map.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, slightly curious but mostly suspicious. I tried to read her. Nothing. She was blank, as usual.

As much as I'd come to respect her in such a short time, everything about her behavior indicated to me that I should trust her about as far as I could throw her.

Kyoko looked away. "It doesn't matter."

She didn't falter under my suspicious gaze, so after a moment I turned to scrutinize the map instead.

"You sure it's accurate?" I asked.

"As far as I know. It's been reliable thus far, and we don't really have anything else to go on."

I sighed. "Alright."

She pointed to another section on the map. "There are also rooms blocked off by caution tape. Judging from the map and what I saw, they're the infirmary and storage room."

We looked through the cage screen. There was an ominous feeling coming from the restricted area. "Something about this place..." my voice trailed off leaving my sentence unfinished, but she knew what I meant. I could tell.

We stood there in silence for a short while before Kirigiri murmured, "We still have a good thirty minutes left. We should put it to some use." She hurriedly crammed the map into the pocket of her uniform. "Would you accompany me a little while longer?"

"Lead the way."

\--

Our destination this time was an empty classroom, similar to the one I woke up in. "What are we doing here?" I asked.

"This is the classroom I woke up in. I assume you woke up in an empty classroom as well?"

"Yes..." I answered slowly. Where was she going with this?

"You are the Ultimate Detective, are you not, Mukuro?"

I straightened my posture, suddenly acutely aware of her piercing gaze on me, as she were analyzing my every move. "I am." I tried to say it with as much dignity as I could muster.

Her gaze lingered for a moment before she finally turned to pick up a paper sitting in on desk beside her and hold it out to me. "Tell me what you make of this."

I took it gingerly from her, flipping through what I now realized was a pamphlet and examined it carefully. "This looks... nearly identical to the one I received. Handwriting is messy, writer was either hasty or unsteady, perhaps they just didn't care? Looks like it may be the latter, although I don't know what to make of that..." I looked up at her at her for any sign of a response or a reaction. When I didn't get one, I took this a queue to continue. "This handwriting looks familiar to me although I can't quite place it." This time there was a reaction, if ever so slightly. Her eyes widened in what could only be surprise. I pretended to continue examining the pamphlet, but I could see the new look of suspicion in her her eyes.

"You don't recognize this handwriting, do you?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"That's what I thought." I hid my disappointment.

"And the metal plates, what do you think of them?"

I approached the metal-plated walls, cautiously removing my glove and running my fingers along the smooth metal as I examined it. I could feel the coolness of the steel even through my gloves. The bolts were large and fastened very tight. "Steel, most likely they'd be impossible to remove manually. Fairly new. Based on the strategic placing of the plates in each of the rooms, I'm guessing their function is most likely to block off access to windows, for obvious reasons." I felt comfortable, in my element. I moved on, examining the rest of the room as well. "At least one camera in every room, judging by what we've seen. No mobility. Can't know for sure, but we can assume they possibly have some sort of microphone system."

Kyoko remained silent.

"Kyoko?" I prompted her, turning back to face her again.

She looked deep in thought. My question broke through her reverie, and she looked up at me. "Yes?"

I hesitated to voice my question, but I went ahead with it. "You don't seem like the type of person that's keen on relying on other people for help. Why are you asking for mine?"

I waited for an answer but there was none. At last she shrugged and said, "You are the Ultimate Detective. Your input on our predicament is valuable to me." I said nothing. "My own pride is of little importance when it comes to survival. It is in my—and I am assuming everyone else's as well—best interest to make sure that we are as prepared as possible to face our current situation."

"But you still don't trust me." It was a statement, not a question.

"I don't trust most people. Comes with the job. Let's just say I prefer to work alone, but... With you. There has not been enough time for me to make a proper decision." She did not meet my eyes.

"So that's a 'no' then."

"I never said that," she snapped, her response much too quick, her gaze averted. She was typically so much more difficult for me to read than people usually were, but even the best sometimes faltered.

I smirked. I really don't know why I felt the need to press the matter, the last thing I needed was a super soldier as an enemy. But I did. "It was implied. And you're reaction just confirmed my suspicions." I resisted the strong temptation to wink.

I glanced over at the clock, which read 9:25. "It's nearly time for the meeting. I'm going to go check on Makoto." I hesitated."I think you should show everyone that map. Although I don't know what you're going to tell them about where you got it, since you wouldn't even tell me." And with that I left the room.

I quickly made my way down the dim corridors and over to the dorms. Since we had left his ID in his room, I had no choice but to just ring and hope he hadn't left already. I was reaching my hand out for the buzzer when...

The door swung wide open, connecting right with my head. There was a loud smack right as I felt a sharp pain shoot across my forehead. I lost my balance, falling over.

"Mukuro!"

I heard Makoto's panicked voice through the haze of pain, my ears ringing. I looked up, seeing a very apologetic Makoto Naegi hovering over me, eyes wide and anxious.

I grimaced, rubbing my forehead in an attempt ease the pain. "Aren't you supposed to make sure the hallways are a safe environment?"

"I'm so, so sorry Mukuro," said Makoto, offering his hand and helping me to my feet. "Are you alright?"

"I'm ok, don't worry."

"Are you sure?" he asked earnestly.

I tried to lighten up. "Better a door than a fist, right?" He didn't laugh, but continued to look at me with a guilty expression. "I'll be fine, Makoto," I tried my best to reassure him. "The more important question is are _you_ alright, since, well... That's the reason I came to check on you."

"Y-you came to check on me?"

I nodded. "Yeah... To see how you were doing. Mondo hit you pretty hard."

"Oh! Well I'm doing much better now. Thank you, Mukuro. Although my head still hurts a little." He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well at least you're ok. Actually, while you were out the rest of is took it upon ourselves to search the school. We're supposed to be meeting in the cafeteria right about now."

"Oh, I guess we'd better go straight away then. Thank you for letting me know, Mukuro."

"O'course. It's important we all show up."

It was a short walk to the cafeteria. Everyone was already gathered inside. It seemed that most of the students were making small talk, but the eyes of everyone were on us as we entered the room.

"There she is!" Junko exclaimed upon seeing me. "Thank god, we were just about to start without you guys."

"Well, thank you for waiting for us," I said gratefully.

"Mukuro, it is 10:07. I would've expected better punctuality from the pair of you," said Taka, giving us a disapproving look. He tapped his watch.

"My apologies for being late, but it can hardly be helped when Makoto was unconscious," I answered patiently.

"It's ok, Makoto! We're just glad that you're alright." Sayaka smiled her white, even smile reassuringly at him.

"Thank you, Sayaka." He was blushing slightly, the way one does when greeted by a girl as pretty as Sayaka.

Mondo shuffled awkwardly, avoiding looking at him. "Yeah, uh... Sorry about that earlier, kid. I got carried away," said Mondo gruffly.

"Apology accepted, Mondo. Really, it's fine."

Even after being punched so hard that he was knocked out, he still managed to put on his most winning smile. No hard feelings, no indication of any grudge. It was impressive.

"Can we get this meeting started already? Unless you plan on wasting this time with more pointless chatter." It was Byakuya, of course. "The soon we start the sooner it can end."

"Hey it's not really necessary to be like that, ok?" said Hina.

"Indeed," said Sakura, backing up Hina. "This open hostility is hardly necessary. Rather, it's best to work past misunderstandings in order to truly communicate."

"I'd actually like to start the meeting as well." Kyoko finally spoke up. I hadn't even noticed that she was in the room.

"Well how about you go first then, since you're so eager?" I said. "Tell them about the map you showed me."

"Map? What map?" Byakuya inquired suspiciously. He eyes narrowed.

Kyoko pulled out the map from her jacket pocket, glaring at me momentarily, which I pretended to ignore.

Makoto, took it in his hands, examining it over. "Where did you get this, Kyoko?" he asked. She didn't answer. "Kyoko?" He looked up at her expectantly.

"Don't avoid the question," said Byakuya, his annoyance apparent.

Junko rolled her eyes. "Oh, let her be. I mean in the end does it really matter where she got it?"

"She's right, I mean isn't it just good to have something that's of use?" asked Hina, looking slightly anxious.

"No matter how useful it may be, if we don't know where it came from then it's suspicious," countered Byakuya.

I decided to chip in my own two cents. "Even so, I don't see a point in fretting over it. It's just a map." I felt that it was necessary to defend it, since I was pretty much responsible for getting Kyoko caught in everyone's crosshairs.

Hiro laughed. "'Right! Well-said, Mukuro!"

"Uhhhh... Mister Makoto Naegi, now that we've got that issue sorted, would it be out of the question to reveal the results of our exploration?" piped up Hifumi, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" said Makoto. "As long as Kyoko has concluded with her findings."

She nodded.

"Alright, perfect! Then would anyone else like to go?"

"I will!" Junko announced, raising a hand enthusiastically and waving it around. "Chihiro and I looked through the dorms together!"

"There's one designated specifically for every one of us. And they're soundproof as well," said Chihiro quietly, continuing off Junko's train of thought.

"Yup! Chihiro and I tested it out ourselves," said Junko, grinning broadly.

An image flashed by in my mind of Junko and Chihiro banging loudly on the dorm walls and yelling their heads off before I quickly suppressed it.

Chihiro looked as if she were in thought. "And... I believe that's all."

"Thank you, Junko and Chihiro," said Taka. "As for myself, I was with Mondo and Hiro, and we came across the dry-cleaning room.

"It took th-th-three people to find the washroom?" asked Toko, sounding skeptical, but she was ignored.

"There's several washing machines and dryers, so we don't have to worry about dry-cleaning," said Hiro, pleased.

Junko snickered. "Lucky for you, right, because you wear like twelve layers of clothing."

"Junko!" I chastised her in hushed whispers. Thankfully, Hiro either was blissfully unaware of what she had said, or he just didn't care.

Sakura spoke up. "Hina, Hifumi, and I went to the entrance hall. There we found that the front entrance was blocked by a huge iron door."

Hina added, "Sakura tried her best to bust down the door, but even she couldn't do it!"

Sakura nodded. "I gave it my best effort, but it would not budge."

"'Course, Sakura!" said Hina with an encouraging nod. "No one's doubting that."

Hifumi sighed. "It appears as though we are truly stuck in this horrid asylum of a school."

"Well naturally if the mastermind behind the whole ordeal wants to keep us here, simply busting down the door isn't going to happen, even with some of the strongest people in Japan in our company," I said. It was a bit of a somber thought, so I tried to end on a more positive note. "Although I commend you for trying, Sakura."

She nodded in thanks.

Celeste smiled. "Well this isn't too bad! We have comfortable living quarters and the kitchen looks well stocked. We should be thankful for what we have instead of worrying about what we cannot change."

"Even with so much food, it will still eventually run out," said Hifumi mournfully.

"If we do then you can eat birdseeds," Toko hissed scathingly.

He was indignant. "Excuse me? Am I a man or a parakeet? A genius such as myself who is still yet to be recognized should be well nourished!"

Toko grumbled under her breath, "B-rate smut author."

"Glorified fanfic writer."

"I've read doujinshi better than your works."

"Your vocabulary is so stunted a third grader can do better."

"Unrealistic and indulgent."

"Cliché and predictable."

Junko stepped in between them, holding out her hands as to stay "stop". "Girls, girls, you're both pretty." She cut in then, stopping the argument before it could escalate any further, although judging by her expression, she seemed to be enjoying herself tremendously.

"Besides, you guys," said Sayaka, still looking anxious over what had just taken place. "We don't have to worry. The kitchen is restocked every day. Monokuma told us."

"You saw him?" asked Chihiro in surprise.

"Yup." Leon grimaced. "Popped up outta nowhere and disappeared just as quickly to who knows where."

Mondo clenched his fists, jaw set in anger. "Next time I see that bear, he's gonna get what's coming to him."

"Pardon me, but I would like to bring to your attention that it says in the rules that violence against the 'headmaster' is forbidden." It was Celeste. Her pleasant formality, no matter what the subject, was unmistakable. "Personally I'm curious to see what the punishment is for breaking one of the rules. What with our unique form of 'graduation', I'm sure it's nothing pleasant." She giggled, and I shivered as I felt a chill go up my spine.

For a moment, he seemed to be stunned speechless. At last, he hung his head, embarrassed. "I ain't dying. I mean I'd love to beat the crap out of that monochrome little shit, but... I made a promise to my big brother a while back."

"What does that have to do with anything?" cried Toko hysterically.

"Yeah, Mondo, what gives?" asked Junko.

He glared. "It means I have promises that I still intend to keep. So there's no way in hell I'm dying."

Celestia's smile never faltered. "So then I'm presuming we'll have your cooperation when it comes to compliance with the rules?"

He nodded, his calm demeanor was strange compared to his chaotic rage.

"Now that we've come to the conclusion they punching our way through all of our problems is obviously not the way to go, are we quite done already?" said Byakuya.

"Says the computer geek who can't hold a conversation to save his life," deadpanned Junko. "Hey, are those headphones around your neck? Tell me, Byakuya, what exactly are they hooked up to? Because my phone's gone, so you may just want to check your pockets. I don't think there could be anything sadder than just wearing them for the aesthetic." She smirked at him while everyone, at hearing those words, began rummaging around frantically for their own devices. There were several cries of shock when the others realized that, yes, their electronics were indeed missing. I checked my own pockets as well and found them to be empty just like with everyone else.

Byakuya's expression did not change, but I could have sworn that he went slightly ashen as Junko's statement. Junko, obviously still not satisfied, continued. "Anyways, what's the rush? Why so eager to leave? Don't tell me you've got some prior commitment. 'Cause even disregarding the fact that we're stuck in this mess, I find that pretty hard to believe. Unless it's some sort of 'keyboarders anonymous' support group."

Byakuya didn't go completely red, but the pink tinge on his pale skin was enough to convey his embarrassment. He said nothing.

"Actually, Junko does have a point. We aren't finished. Toko, Celeste, what have the two of you been doing for an hour?"

I was surprised to hear Kyoko's voice again after she had spent so long in silence.

"Actually, we stayed in the gymnasium the entire time." Celeste looked considerably less cheerful than she had been previously.

"Huh? You seriously stayed there the entire time?" asked Junko, incredulous.

"Well, n-n-nobody asked me if I w-wanted to-to-to go with them!" Toko seemed to be getting herself worked up, her stuttering getting worse.

"Toko, you could have just asked someone yourself if you wanted to come along," said Hina, trying to appeal to reason.

Toko just shook her head, muttering something to herself.

Celeste sighed. "To be perfectly honest, the whole 'exploring' thing is not exactly my cup of tea."

"Very well." Kyoko shifted her gaze over to where Byakuya was standing. "And you, Byakuya?"

Byakuya, who by this time seemed to have recovered from Junko's mockery, answered, "I found nothing." He seemed completely apathetic, perhaps feeling shut down after Junko's remarks.

"Nothing?" Her piercing eyes were fixated on him, one eyebrow raised questioningly, but he kept his eyes averted.

"If I had found anything worth reporting, I would have said something earlier." His irritation was apparent in his voice.

She nodded and shrugged. Perhaps it was my imagination, but for a moment I thought I recognized the barest traces of of a smile cross her lips. And then I blinked, and it was gone as if it had never existed.

The loud ringing of a school bell echoed throughout the room. "Ahem." I heard a familiar voice. Looking around to find the source, I saw that the monitor on the wall was now on and displaying on the screen was Monokuma. "Attention. It is 10 P.M. Night Time is now in effect. The dining hall will be closing momentarily. Sweet dreams, everyone!" And with that, the screen went blank.

The room was quiet.

The first person to speak up was Kyoko. "Seem's like it's about time we wrap this up."

"Oh! Uh, yes," said Makoto. "Does anyone else have anything else they would like to add before we do?"

"One last thing." It was Celeste. "The announcement has brought this issue to my attention. I would like to propose something."

"O..kay?" asked Makoto. "What is it, Celeste?"

"I would like to propose a rule for Night Time. It it not in the handbook, I think we should establish it now. Nobody leaves their dorms during those hours. Personally I'd like to be able to sleep without having to worry what might happen."

"It's... a good idea, but unfortunately we have no way to really enforce it," said Makoto thoughtfully. "But if everyone is ok with it, I think we should give it a try."

The group murmured in agreement.

"Very well," said Celeste. "It's just that... I have this premonition that the first murder will be during the Night Time, and I'd like to avoid that as much as possible." Her somber attitude felt strange in opposition to her usual eerie cheerfulness.

"Don't worry Celeste, I'm sure nothing of the sort will happen!"

Celeste ignored Sayaka's efforts to cheer her up.

She sighed. "We'll see."

And on that ominous note, the meeting concluded and the sixteen of us parted ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its not as long as the last chapter was, fortunately... or maybe unfortunately.
> 
> Also chapters will be divided into parts, most likely parts of 5.  
> Part 1 will be introduction to setting or new environments, etc. Part 2 is a free time chapter, but since I've already started this one for chapter 1, you guys can suggest for next chapter instead, sorry. Part 3 is when the motive is given & the drama rises, part 4 is the murder and investigation, and part 5 is the trial.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 1.2: Can We Go Gift Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ch [].2 is often gonna be a Free-Time chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mukuro is FUTCH

"So tell me about yourself!" Junko prompted me over breakfast.

We were sitting together in the cafeteria with our would-be classmates. The 16 of us occupied the one long table, and we all were trying our best to make awkward idle chatter.

It was all Makoto's idea. The boy had woken up early just to go to each individual's dorm, wake them, greet them good morning, and invite them to breakfast. Personally, Makoto Naegi—or, well, anyone—seeing me in my early morning state was not exactly my idea of a good morning; however, he was insistent that I come down to breakfast with everyone else ("Surely you must, Mukuro!").

Despite my futile attempts at refusal, I could hardly say no to the kid. Just that smile could be enough to win me over.

Junko's voice woke me from my reverie and drowsiness. I wasn't particularly a morning person. Upon finally registering her question, I shrugged nonchalantly. "What's to tell? I'm sure compared to you, my life isn't nearly as exciting."

I was feeling a little strange this morning, even from the beginning. Examining myself in the mirror after waking up, I was sure that something was different, even in my state of grogginess (or maybe I was just getting uglier).

"Don't be ridiculous! You're a detective, how is that not exciting? Besides..." She waved her hand carelessly. "My life is already splashed across the tabloids."

I said nothing, keeping my eyes down, fixed on my plate.

"Come on!" she whined, hopping up and down in her chair excitedly. "What've you been up to for the past who-knows-how-many years? Dad almost never talks about you. Or Mom." Her voice was suddenly much quieter, "When she ran off to solve mysteries, taking my only sister with her, I thought I'd never see you again, ya know?"

Maybe she had lost track, but I knew that "who-knows-how-many-years" was equivalent to almost 12 years. Not that I had kept track for any particular reason. Mom never liked to talk about Dad. Or about my sister, who I vaguely knew existed but new next to nothing about, save for the fainter than faint memories. They were like phantoms; their only proof of existence were a couple of old crappy photos.

So I stopped asking. It was like that elephant in the room. That thing that you pretend isn't there even though you know that obviously it is.

"To be fair," I said to her, "I didn't think my baby sister would grow up to be so famous."

She was so different from the child in the photos, the ever present companion at my side who I knew nothing about. She had this whole exciting, glamorous life, separate from mine.

_12 years is a long time._

I smiled, deciding at last to to oblige her with answers. Despite the fact that they were hardly answers at all. "If you really want to know, my last case was in Europe. Actually," I said, the memories—for some reason much cloudier than they probably should be—flooding back to me. "Mom wasn't with me that time. I was in... oh, what was it? It was this really small country... Novoselic?"

Despite my non-answers, she hung onto every word.

"And Mom? What's she like?" she asked eagerly, eyes wide with interest.

I thought about it for a moment. "Quiet," I finally decided. "Really quiet."

She laughed. I joined in as well, her laughter infectious. It was a strange feeling.

"Fair enough," she said, still laughing. Finally she was able to compose herself. "Dad's the opposite. He's loud, and he talks way too much. He was the one who really pushed me to come here." For a moment, she looked sad. Then the moment passed, and she was back to her usual self. "Well, I suppose he had to do something with his life since the 'family business' didn't appeal to him."

By that, she meant detective work. I didn't know the details. Just that detective work was a family tradition.

I nodded, not taking my eyes off my half-eaten piece of toast. She continued, "The stage name was his idea, too." She paused. "You know... as much as it royally sucks that we're stuck here like this, I'm really glad I got to see you again."

I looked back up at her, surprised at how sincere she seemed. "So am I."

"Let's get out of this place together. You and I. We're gonna get out of that awful place." Her eyes were bright and full of hope.

I nodded. Trying to lighten up from the somber turn the conversation had taken, I said, "The company could take some getting used to, but they're not all that bad." When she didn't answer, I added, "This is some pretty heavy stuff, and I'm not talking about the breakfast."

She snorted.

I yawned, trying not to think about the fact that I would probably still be asleep under normal circumstances. How I missed my usual bed, the one at home, despite the fact that the mattress creaked and the pillows were much too soft. But it was a bed, and it was mine, not the strange bed I'd been forced to occupy.

"Are you alright, Mukuro?" asked Sayaka. Sho sat across from me, right beside Junko.

"Oh, I'm fine, just tired is all," I tried to reassure her.

"I'm a little tired myself," she said. If she was, she didn't look it. There was no indication that she was anything but picture perfect, in contrast to my own hooded eyelids and purplish shadows underneath my eyes.

I wished I was a morning person. It'd certainly make my job easier. Black coffee was dubbed in our household as "jet fuel," due to its hideous color and necessity just to get through working early morning cases. Which, admittedly, weren't often. Being a detective wasn't exactly a 9-to-5 thing. It was just something I did because my mother was doing it, and I always followed my mother. She always voiced her hopes of taking over the family business, and I always just figured that I would since I had no other choice really do entertain. These were my only skills. I never really thought about it. I guess I just assumed it was a given.

Although black coffee was probably something I could stand to live without.

"Did you often have early morning cases?" asked Sayaka curiously, interrupting my mood swings.

"Every once in a while, which is still more often than I would like." I was intrigued. "But how did you-–"

"Know? I can read minds," she said, with what appeared to be complete seriousness.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

She giggled. "Kidding! I just have really good intuition."

Now I wasn't a people person by any means, but I considered myself to be a person with good intuitions. It just came with my area of expertise—more from experience than anything else. In terms of social interaction, the reading people part was the easy part. The talking to them was where it tripped me up. I just wasn't built for social graces.

But this.. this was a whole new level of "good intuitions." Undoubtably, there was more to Sayaka Maizono than I had initially presumed, and it was absolutely fascinating.

She was wearing a yellow bow in her hair, as opposed to the pink one she had been wearing the previous day. Once again, she was impeccably dressed and absolutely pristine. To be honest, she was even prettier in person than she was in the magazines.

However, I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about her seemed different.

Sayak shot me a look. "Mukuro, why are you staring? I know I don't quite live up to the cover shots, but those things are photoshopped," she said, once again as if she were in tune to my thoughts.

I flushed red with embarrassment, looking away from her and back down at my breakfast plate. I didn't speak for the rest of the meal.

\---

"'Kuro, I'm bored," Junko complained.

The two of us were killing time in her room. With no school (and the imminent possibility of murder), there wasn't much regarding ways to occupy ourselves. When we'd got back from breakfast, she immediately had flopped onto her bed and hadn't moved since. Meanwhile I was standing in front of her bathroom mirror, in sheer awe at the amount off cosmetics she had lined across her bathroom counter. She probably had enough to run a beauty parlor.

 _"'Kuro'?"_ I asked, unsure of what to make of the word. I turned to look at her to see that she was sprawled comically across her unmade bed, her head and her arms dangling over the side, her pigtails so long that they touched the floor.

She slid herself down to the floor. "Yeah, 'Kuro. It's ok if I call you 'Kuro, right?"

I answered automatically. "Yeah, that's..." I let my sentence trail as I turned to look away from her and back at my own reflection. "That's fine."

I'd never had a nickname before. The idea made me feel oddly happy. I smiled to myself.

From her spot on the floor, I heard Junko call out, "I have a beyond brilliant idea!" In my surprise, I turned to look at her to see that I was mistaken. Rather than laying on the floor, she had popped up off the ground like a daisy. "Ok, hear me out. I think, you are in need of a makeover!"

"What?" I asked, not quite sure exactly what I was hearing. I tried to refuse. "No, no... You don't have to..."

She ignored my protested.

Not that I hated makeup, but in my mind it was always a little bit like wizardry. It was ritualistic, you can transform into someone totally different, it was impossible to learn. There was something just mysterious about it. I'd given up on the idea long ago. There was no fixing these dark circles.

"Yeah!" She was beside me in an instant, holding my hands in hers. "Please, please, please, 'Kuro!"

How could I possibly say no?

\---

"Stop fidgeting. You're messing me up."

"I'm sorry, I've never really done this before."

"You're kidding right?" asked Junko.

I shrugged. "I've always dedicated my time to my cases."

"You're moving," she complained. "Close your eyes." I shut my eyes. "No, not like that. Relax." I relaxed, only just realizing that I had been so tense that they were jammed shut.

I felt something swipe across my eyelids. As the process went on, I resisted the urge to pull away from the pencils and brushes that were poking at my face. Every once in a while, Junko would swear quietly under her breath. It made me a little nervous.

"Can I open my eyes?"

My nose was beginning to itch.

"No," said Junko firmly. "The liner still has to dry. Now don't move. I don't want to mess up your eyebrows."

"Mess up my wha—Ow!" I felt a tug and a sharp pain as a hair at the bottom of my eyebrow was removed.

"Shhhhh, don't talk, or they'll end up crooked," she said, continuing to tweeze away at my eyebrows.

I tried my best to hold still, but every now and then I would wince from the pain. At last, she stopped.

"Can I open my eyes now?" I asked.

"Yeah, go ahead."

I opened my eyes to see Junko standing before me, brandishing a small metal tool in her hand.

I jumped back in fright.

She rolled her eyes. "Calm down. It's just an eyelash curler."

"A _what_?"

"An eyelash curler," she said matter-of-factly. "Now hold still."

I shied away from her hand. "You're lying, there is no way that that thing is not some sort of weapon."

She laughed. "You're a riot, 'Kuro, really." Stern once again, she added, "Now seriously, don't move."

I protested weakly as I felt the little metal curler on my eyelashes. "What does this even do?"

"It's called an eyelash curler. What do you think it does? Other eye now."

I sat patiently until Enoshima had finished with the eyelash curler and applied mascara, the stickiness making it awful tempting to blink or wipe the mess away, but I resisted.

"You actually have nice eyelashes," she said.

"Thanks, I guess?"

"Mhm." She then applied something rosy my cheeks. It might've been blush?

"That tickles." I wrinkled my nose.

"I'm nearly finished." She took a step back, looking me up and down. "Alright... Well, there's not much we can do about your hair." She seemed to be talking more to herself than to me. "Maybe if I had a wig I could, but..."

"Wig?" I asked, perplexed. She had wigs in her room, too?

She shook her head. "Never mind, forget I said anything." She brushed my hair behind my ears with her finger, using a clip to keep it in place.

She took out the plain earrings I was wearing. "Thank god you have pierced ears because that could have gone horribly wrong," she said, substituting them with another pair.

"You've pierced ears before?" I asked dubiously, secretly grateful as well at having avoided that prospect.

"Nope!" she said, sounding oddly chipper about it. "Which is why I said it's a good thing yours are already pierced."

From what I could tell, she was implying that she would have pierced them herself. Not that I would ever let an inexperienced teen who I had just met yesterday come anywhere close to my ears with a sharp object, but I said nothing.

"Can I see now?" I asked.

"Alright," she trilled gleefully, smiling wide for me. "Turn around."

I turned to look at myself in the mirror and was completely taken aback by my own appearance.

Admittedly, she had done quite a good job, but it was just strange. Flaws that I didn't really even register that I had were now played down. Just my eyes looked a little brighter, my cheeks a little rosier, my hair framed my face a little better. It wasn't dramatic. Except maybe the eye makeup. I was pretty sure it was what could be called a "smokey eye". But I wasn't transformed.

It didn't feel fake, not exactly. It was still unmistakably me, just... a little more polished, maybe? Mixed emotions I didn't even know could go together were bubbling to the surface.

"I tried to bring out your eyes. You have such nice eyes." I could see her watching me apprehensively for a reaction or response.

"My freckles..." I didn't look at her. I was transfixed by my own appearance, something that had never happened before in my life.

"I didn't want to cover them up. You should show them off!"

I nodded, still not looking at her.

"Oh... You don't like it," she said, sounding disheartened.

I shook my head.

"So you do like it?"

I nodded.

"Really?"

At last, I turned to look at her. She was grinning ear to ear. "Yes, er... Junko. You did a really good job, thank you," I told her with full sincerity.

There was an ecstatic squeal, and before I knew it, her arms were around me. Although this time, she let go almost immediately.

"Sorry, I'm a hugger." She grinned apologetically. "And enough with this overly formal crap. You're my sister, act like it! Call me sis. Or like... just give me a kickass nickname or something."

I gave a small chuckle before turning to look at myself in the mirror again. Call it shallow, but opportunities to allow myself a little vanity were few and far between.

"Hon, you've never looked better." She looked up and down approvingly, as if admiring her own work. "Eyebrow game so strong they can bench press more than Mondo Owada."

I suppressed the urge the laugh.

Something in the mirror caught my eye. I leaned in loser to my reflection, aiming to get a better look at my ears. Upon closer inspection, I was able to discern the shapes of my earrings.

"They're rabbits," I said, surprised.

"Yeah. Cute, huh?" said Junko. "Just think of them as a gift from me to you."

"You don't have to—"

"Don't be ridiculous," she cut me off. "It's nothing really."

"Alright, alright, sis. Thank you." I figured this was probably not an argument I would have won anyways.

She was elated. At that very moment, I was sure that nothing would have been able to crush her spirits. She gasped. "We have to show everyone!"

_Oh, God._

I shook my head fervently, eyes wide.

"Come on," she begged. "My masterpiece simply can't go to waste!"

I sat down on the edge of her bed. "I just like staying here with you," I said, trying to pacify her.

Truthfully, I really didn't care if anyone else saw me. I felt good, and Junko was happy, and really that was what mattered, right? I'd never been one for attention or praise.

She pouted. "But I want everyone to see how great my big sister looks."

I sighed.

"You'll knock 'em dead for sure," she said. "Who knows, maybe even literally. Although when Monokuma said 'School of Mutual Killing', I don't think that's really what he had in mind."

"Jun—Uh, sis, do you really think that's an appropriate joke?" I asked, trying my best to conceal my exasperation.

She ignored the question, but instead took me by the hand and lead me out the door. "You know, I have a funny feeling I'm going to be getting that tone a lot from you."

\---

"You look so pretty! You could be a model!"

"Thank you, Sayaka."

"Isn't she though? My biggest success to date."

"Junko, please, I'm right here."

"Mukuro is looking so good, yeah?"

"Seriously guys, I'm standing right here."

"Classic case of 'Beautiful All Along.' If you were fictional you'd be quite something, Miss Mukuro Ikusaba."

"..."

It was perhaps the most awkward situation I'd ever been in. And in all the years of my life I'd encountered some pretty awkward scenarios. I pertain it to the fact that I was probably just not used to fourteen nearly complete strangers giving me compliments. Ok, so all fourteen weren't present in the cafeteria, where Junko decided to go to show of her little "project." That was how she had referred to me. Her "project".

She was shameless in her attempts to show me off. I tried my best to be as gracious as possible to everyone who complimented me, despite being rather uncomfortable.

For just a brief point, I caught Kyoko staring at me. I thought she too was going to say something to me, but she stayed silent. She diverted her gaze as soon as our eyes met, and she turned away from me.

"You look really nice, Mukuro."

"Thank you, Makoto."

"I mean, not that you don't always look nice!" he corrected himself. "Because you do! You just look pretty all fixed up. Not that you need fixing by any means. I mean..."

You'd think the leader of the morals committee would be a little better at articulating what they wanted to say, rather than be a stammering mess. But that was awfully sweet.

I laughed, doing my best to conceal it behind my hand, as if that would do any good. Perhaps I was hoping it would spare him a least a little from embarrassment. My cheeks burned slightly, and I was hoping it would be disguised by the all blush Junko had applied. I was praying that nobody would notice. However, Junko must have because was soon as Makoto had left she was immediately beside me.

"I saw that," she said quietly so that only I could here, with a smirk on her face that was making me uncomfortable.

"Saw what?" I asked.

"You know, _that_."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about _Makoto_ ," she said in a voice that implied that it should be completely obvious. "I'm totally calling this one. I'm doing it early. Otherwise, I won't get to say 'I told you so', and where's the fun in that?"

I didn't answer. I didn't know how. What even was the proper response to that sort of thing?

\---

It wasn't quite as bad waking up early the next day.

Still bad, but not quite as bad as before. I probably should have expected something like this would happen. Makoto had even said the previous morning that he wanted to turn breakfast with the group into an every day thing, but it didn't make me any less tired. I supposed it was just something I'd have to get used to.

That is, if I was correct in assuming Monokuma's "good morning" announcement on the monitors would be something we would have the pleasure of waking up to every single morning. I was a light sleeper, the kind that woke easily.

I had looked pretty ghastly waking up that morning, even more so than usual. I caught myself daydreaming of thoughts of concealer, but that was a joke. Even if I could get some (maybe from Junko), I had no idea how applying it actually worked. I never really thought there would be a day I'd actually wish for makeup, but perhaps it was my sister's influence. Still, most of it still made me feel way out of my depths. Eyeshadow, bronzer, fake eyelashes? Forget about it. And I was not making the mistake of letting an "eyelash curler" near my face again. But concealer? That was more my speed.

All the same, it was a false hope at best. I had no idea how people managed to do the whole "makeup" thing every day. It was actually kind of impressive. I had neither the patience nor the skill for such a task.

While I was glad to make her happy, the whole experience had opened up a new floodgate of weird nitpicky qualms I had with my own appearance that had never really bothered me before. 

Still, wanting to at least maintain a kept appearance, I brushed my hair, pinning it back under my bangs as usual. Looking myself in the mirror, I frowned. I was so pale. Maybe it was silly, but I pinched my cheeks, hoping that would give them some color.

And I made sure to wear my new earrings, of course.

At breakfast, some of the others had inquired as to why I wasn't all made up like yesterday, most with this tone of innocent curiosity that wasn't really convincing. It didn't really bother me. They meant well enough.

I was sitting at a table with Leon, Sayaka, and Junko. Junko was preoccupied with conversation with Sayaka, so Leon probably took this as a sign to at least attempt at casual conversation with me. I assumed his motives were simply for the purpose of politeness since the other two girls were distracted, and I was silent as I ate my breakfast.

"So what's your deal?" he asked me.

I nearly choked on my breakfast. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, are you like one of silent types who keeps to themselves most of the time? You're all mysterious and crap because you like to keep people guessing?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a yes?"

He withered under the look I gave him.

"Alright, alright, never mind," he said. "That was a bad question. Let me try again... What sort of music do you like?"

I was taken aback by the sudden change of topic. "What? I... Uh... I'm... not sure really. I don't really have a specific preference. I don't listen to music much."

"What?" He was incredulous. "You're kidding."

I shook my head, poking halfheartedly through my unfinished breakfast with a fork and continuing to eat even though I was no longer hungry.

I didn't get why he was so shocked, but he was looking at me like I'd said something awful.

"You're messing with me," said Leon, trying for a half-hearted laugh. "Come on, what person doesn't listen to music?"

"Too busy, I guess." I shrugged.

"Not liking music is like... not liking kittens."

It was if my apathy towards music was a personal offense against him. It was a little amusing.

"I never said that. Also, I'm a dog person."

He ignored me. "We're going to have to fix that," he mused.

"Cats are fine, but they make me sneeze." It wasn't a lie. Mother and I used to own a kitten when I was much younger, but we had to get rid of it for that very reason. The treachery of allergies.

"No! Not that," he said, dismissing my cat comment with irritation. "You are in serious need of a proper musical education."

"With no phones, mp3s, or even Internet connection," I reminded him. "Although you can still give it a try. My sister is a pop sensation after all, so I'd say it's not... _completely_ out of the question."

"Well, yeah," he said, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

"I heard the phrase 'my sister'," said Junko, surprising us both by interrupting as she turned to look at us. "What is it? Are you in need of my presence? Or perhaps my angelic singing voice?" She sung the last part.

I couldn't even tell if she was serious or not. I suppressed a laugh. "Sorry sis, but actually... maybe. Leon was just chastising me on my lack of interest in music. Apparently, I'm in... serious need of a musical education, was how it was put?"

"Oh! Maybe I can be of asisstence?" she asked, the prospect seeming to catch her interest.

"Unless you can cover a wide variety of genres and time periods, I don't think so," I said. "Although I'm not doubting your range," I added. "I'm sure it's very impressive."

Sayaka, who I hadn't even realized had been listening in on our conversation, laughed out loud.

At that moment, I heard a loud crash and several of us turned our head to the noise.

Celeste sighed, and across the room lay a shattered cup of former milk tea.

_Holy shit._

“What the fuck?” cried Mondo, eyes going wide in shock.

“Celeste, that, like, came out of nowhere!” said Hina.

Celeste did not address either of them.

Hifumi wailed, his face going pale as he began to sweat. “Dear me! What are you doing, my little white rabbit?” he cried.

“I loathe milk tea such as this!” said Celeste, her voice disgusted despite her expression of apathy.

“Wha—? After all that time I put into making it for you!” said Hifumi, indignant with his hand on his hips.

“The milk absolutely has to be a part of the brewing process. I will not accept anything less.”

“Wait, for real? That’s what this is about?” asked Hifumi.

“I realize it can be a bit of a hassle,” said Celeste. “Even in cafes that offer proper milk tea, it is always more expensive than simple tea with milk. It takes more time to prepare, surely but…” She giggled at him with a smile that was equally as eerie as it was delicate. “Why even bother creating a menu if you are not going to offer the highest level of quality, yes?”

Hifumi frowned. “Yes, but, this isn’t a restaurant…”

Celeste rose to her feet, threatening him with the sharp armor-like ring on her index finger, the point dangerously close to his face. There was a furious glint in her red eyes. “What did I just say!” she snapped. “Get on with it, freak! Hurry up and bring me what I asked for, swine!”

Her accent was gone, in it’s place was a fury from her I’d never seen.

Hifumi squealed, running off into the kitchen. “O-Okay! Your little piggy will bring it out right now!”

Once he was gone, Celeste regained her composure almost instantaneously. She giggled once more. “Hehe. I do so love coercion.”

Mondo stared. “What. the. fuck,” he said again, this time low and under his breath.

“The hell was that about?” asked Hiro, scratching his head.

Junko was grinning ear to ear, eyeing Celeste curiously. “Now that’s what I’m talking about."

I looked around, and when no one said anything I spoke up. “I’m gonna… go to the kitchen,” I said, hurrying over.

Once entering the kitchen I spotted that Hifumi was by the stove, preparing another batch of milk tea.

I moved so that I stood beside him, reaching for the coffee maker and grabbing what I would need to make a fresh cup. It wasn’t really my goal, but I needed something to occupy my hands.

“You know, you don’t have to do it just because she tells you to,” I murmured quietly.

“Ah!” He squeaked, jumping back in fright. “Miss Ikusaba!”

“Sorry, I startled you?”

“Yes! I’m afraid I didn’t see you there.” He was red in the face. “Miss Ikusaba, whatever do you mean?” he asked.

I shrugged. “That was pretty harsh back there. I, uh…”

I didn’t really know what else to say. I didn’t have any advice, or guiding words, or anything useful really. Perhaps I was just being nosy as always.

I was beginning to doubt myself. "You know what? Just… forget I said anything.”

He was indignant. “Thank you for your concern, Miss Mukuro Ikusaba, but I am perfectly capable of caring for myself!”

“Ok.” I dropped it as soon as it was brought up. Not that I didn’t have any more feelings on the matter, but it was clearly none of my business. I turned away, over the fridge and opening it up so that I could peer inside. “Want anything?” I asked, turning over to glance back at him.

“Uh… Diet Coke?” He perked up, apprehensive and almost hopeful.

I scanned the shelves. “Sorry, not seeing it.”

“Damn it all!” His hands clenched up into little fists. When he was angry, his nose would scrunch up. “What am I going to do without my precious Diet Coke? I am going to suffer withdrawals! Kyaaaaahhh! Away, vile spirits!” His voice was booming. He panted, his whole body drooping as his expression fell. “Here come the auditory hallucinations.”

“Hifumi, please, relax,” I said.

“What?” he gasped. “That voice! Who—“

“Kid, it’s me, snap out of it.”

“An angel is telling me to snap out of it! Is it the Love Interest?”

I didn’t like the way he was looking at me, so I grabbed his shoulders and gave him a rough shake. “Hifumi! You can’t let Diet Coke beat you!”

That seemed to do the trick. “Miss Ikusaba! You’re right, I can’t lose to the Diet Coke!” He sniffed. “I need to get out of here.”

I didn’t talk to Hifumi all that much, so, this was a wake up call. Boy, could he flip moods on a dime.

“You will,” I said. “Now make sure your tea doesn’t boil over.”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right! Thank you for reminding me!” He rushed to the kettle. “Sincerest apologies, Miss Mukuro Ikusaba, for referring to you as the Love Interest.”

“Hm?” I asked. I waved my hand. “Oh, it’s… it’s fine."

"I didn’t want to get your hopes up,” said Hifumi. “I’ve never broken a heart, I can only imagine the tragedy! I just felt I should give you fair warning since you are absolutely not my type!”

I smiled wryly. “It’s okay,” I said. “I’ll live.”

“My type, of course, since you would want to know,” he continued, “being fictional. Specifically the women in my novels.”

“I see,” I said, even if I didn’t really see.

“Yes! They are my source of comfort. Not to divulge too much of my Tragic Backstory, but, you know, I was quite friendless growing up.”

“Oh. That’s too bad.”

“Oh! Except for my sister of course.”

I nodded. “You must’ve been very close.”

“Yes, well.” He paused. “She was my biggest supporter, all these years. I don’t know what I would do without her.”

I didn’t say anything. Instead I just listened, and let him have his moment.

Probably realizing that he was getting way too sentimental, he coughed, clearing his throat. “Yes, yes! Well. It’s all very typical of a Protagonist, I should say. You know, the bullies, the tragedy, the rough childhood. If my life were a story, it would be so trite! Such a cliche! Writing kept me sane. But I swore, never again! Well, now I’m a renowned author, I sure showed them!”

I frowned. “Right. And so letting Celeste boss you around is different from that… how?” I asked.

He glared at me from behind his spectacles. “That is entirely different!” cried Hifumi, pointing an accusatory finger at me. He grumbled something indiscernible, in the process of pouring tea and loading a tray. “Forget it, there’s no way to think about this in a common sense kind of way!”

He scurried off with the tray, leaving me standing there by myself.

\---

"Leon, can I ask you something?"

Somehow, the two of us had ended up in the gift shop together. The fact that it was open at all surprised me, so of course I had to investigate. And by that I meant snatch anything that took my fancy or could hold my interest for a period of time longer than a few seconds. For the most part I was just relieved there was another possible way to occupy my time other than staring at the walls in my dorm or playing guinea pig to Junko's makeovers. Playing beauty parlor was something I had appreciated as a one time thing, but I didn't think I could handle more than just on occasion. Too much poking and prodding and sticky application. While makeup was an impressive feat of artistry, I didn't know if it was really for me.

When I had entered the shop, it had been empty of any other personnel, but at some point Leon must have wandered in without me realizing. We were at opposite ends of the room. I was near to the counter on the right, by the plush Monokumas of all sizes that lined the shelves. I hadn't really planned on saying anything to him. Other than saying hello when I noticed that he, too, was in the room, I was perfectly content with spending the time in silence; however, a question did occur to me that I was rather curious to know the answer to.

At hearing me address him, he turned away from the shelves of miscellaneous products to look at me.

"Huh?" He blinked, seemingly still trying to register the question. "Oh. Yeah, shoot."

"I'm just curious... why would you want to quit swimming?"

Leon shrugged. "It's boring and stupid, and I just don't like it." He scowled, his answer making him seem a bit like a stubborn child. Upon realizing that he'd probably have to give me a bit more than that, he softened, adding, "You know how when you start out doing something, and it's great because it's so much fun, but then you do it all the time, and it starts to feel like work?"

I nodded, but I couldn't truthfully say I really understood how that felt. I'd been leaning against one of the shop's glass display counters as I talk to him, and as I listened intently I hoisted myself up slightly so that I was instead sitting on the counter.

"I guess I can see that," I said, even though I was bluffing. I thought back to our conversation the other day, "Well, if you hate swimming... during our introductions, you were saying something about a singing career. You know, before Sayaka interrupted."

"Wha—You actually remembered that? Heh, sweet." His smile was so broad. He seemed genuinely pleased which was... nice. I didn't think much of it. Remembering things was part of the job.

"Yeah, but I mean like..." I reached over and pulled a stuffed Monokuma toy off the shelf that was practically life-sized, and examined it absentmindedly. It bore too much of a resemblance to the real thing, so I set it aside. Instead, I pulled a similar looking rabbit off the shelf and held it close, hugging it to my chest. I eyed the Monokuma doll with distrust. In any other circumstance, it would have been cute. I would have been tempted to keep the thing for myself if it wasn't so damn unnerving. But, getting back to the conversation, I continued, "You're this guy who's won a billion swimming tournaments, and you plan on leaving that all behind?"

He sulked. "Well, anything sounds dumb when you put it like that," he said. "But... I got this in the bag. Trust me, I have the vocals for it and everything!"

"But aren't you going to compete in the Olympics? That's a pretty huge deal, isn't it?" All that stuff was supposed to be hush-hush until it was confirmed, I couldn't help but ask. Sometimes rumors just weren't enough. Hell, in my line of business, you can't just accept rumors at face value. I wanted the truth, and who better to ask than the prodigy himself?

Leon crossed his arms, his expression disgruntled. "Yeah, yeah, I know... You don't think I know that? I've heard it all before..." When I didn't answer he simply kept going. "I mean, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if I actually enjoyed myself. But I just... Don't."

He frowned, and I felt a pang of sympathy for him. Perhaps it was my imagination, but he actually sounded... disappointed. Like this was something he'd thought about a lot. 

He shook is head as if to clear his thoughts. "Whatever, whatever. Anyway, all the crap aside, being a musician sounds so much cooler, right? And even better, girls dig musicians."

I said nothing, but allowed myself a small, amused grin.

He continued. "You see, there was this girl that I met once at the salon. She was really cute, and she was really into musicians." He just kept talking. The words kept tumbling out, and I didn't have plans to stop him anytime soon. Sometimes I even surprised myself with how far being a listening ear could go. "And like, maybe it is dumb that I'm giving up swimming, maybe it's not, but I should at least give it a shot. I think this is the right decision I'm making. I can feel it!" He seemed so optimistic and self-assured. I wasn't sure whether to just brush this off. Either it was as a gimmick to receive attention and he was just fickle and girl crazy or... he was actually serious in his endeavors—if perhaps a little in over his head.

"Well hopefully, once we get out of this place, you can pursue your goal."

"Hehe, thanks." He grinned. "Y'know, you're a really good listener, Mukuro."

I uttered a quiet thank you. Not that I was going to say anything, but it was actually a tactic I used sometimes to gather testimonials. The things people are willing to say when there is a nonjudgemental party who will listen. People in general just like to talk. Most of them, anyways. There were always exceptions, of course.

"Ya know, I've never really had friends who were girls."

 _I've never really had any friends, period,_ I thought.

My best friend was probably my mom. Although that may just have been because we never settled down in one place for a long enough time for me to make any lasting friends my age.

"I don't really see how there's much of a difference between being friends with girls or guys."

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. It stood on end, making it look even more wild than it already was. "It's like... Haven't you ever tried to impress a guy?"

"Not really."

There was this one boy, back when I was six, but we didn't talk about that. Needless to say, I discovered the hard way that investigating dead baby birds for "evidence" was not something that was considered impressive. It was a rather painful experience for myself and everyone involved, even if I ended up choosing the baby bird over him anyways.

My answer surprised him. He raised his eyebrows. "What, really?"

I nodded.

He scrutinized me for a moment. "You're a lesbian, aren't you?"

"I–-wait, w-what?" I stuttered, his question catching me completely by surprise.

"Because I kind of had a feeling you were, which is probably why I'm able to talk to you without worrying about trying to impress you." He was sort of rambling. "Because like, you're a girl, but just the way you act an' all, you're a girl, but you're not a _girl_ girl."

I ignored that last part, under the pretense that I knew he didn't mean it in an offensive way. "For future reference, I would recommend avoiding asking any other female friends such personal questions. But, Leon, if you must know," I said patiently. "I am actually a robot, which means I have no sexual orientation."

He gave me a weird look.

"Joking. I was joking. I do that every once in a while."

He didn't laugh.

I sighed. "Right." I swung my legs back and forth, staring down at my feet to avoid eye contact. "I'm just..." I pondered for the right way to phrase it. "Not into labels," I finished, trying my very best to sound nonchalant.

_Not into labels._

In other words, running around solving cases never really gave me much time to form attachments with anyone. It was a subject I'd put off in my own mind. Leon bringing it up again had made the question feel raw again. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been involved in a conversation anything like this.

Feelings were... complicated. Surprisingly complicated for someone who had no love life.

And anyways, it was none of his business.

I looked back up at him again. "Anyways, if you get to ask me invasive questions, then that gives me a freebie."

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine."

This was going surprisingly well. I was having more proper conversations with kids my age in the past two days than I probably had in the previous 5 years of my life combined.

"Hm..." I studied him for a moment, wondering whether I should just come forth and ask. I decided to go for it; the more mischievous impulse in my brain just wanted his reaction. "Tell me, what is your natural hair color?"

"My-–how did you know that?"

"Your roots," I said pointedly. That plus the previous salon comment, it wasn't hard to put two and two together.

"They're showing?"

I nodded. "Don't worry about it. Detective, here," I said, pointing to myself. "I'm trained to pick up those trivial details."

He didn't seem reassured.

First friend here, and I'd already managed to weird him out. Well, first friend besides Junko, but she was my sister, she didn't count.

"Hey listen," I said, hastily changing the subject to something more favorable. "While I was rummaging through here, I saw this Yasu Shishido t-shirt. Aaaand... you said you liked rock music, so I figured that maybe you'd like it?"

"Really?" His face lit up. "Sweet!"

"Here I'll get it." I hopped off the counter, walking over to where the shirt hung, below the bottom left shelf, in the very back. I took it off the rack and held it out to him. It was my peace offering, at least in my mind.

Leon took it from me, eyeing it over. "For me?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
He glanced up at me. "For serious? You're not, like, screwing with me or anything?"

"Scout's honor," I said, holding up a hand.

His face lit up. "Are you shitting me? This? This is cool. Super cool!"

_He seemed to really like it. With a reaction like that, I was feeling a bit of joy._

He chuckled. "I feel like... maybe I don't even hafta get outta here anymore." His eye twitched. He was still smiling, but now there was something definitely artificial about it. "Hah! Yeah, right! I still totally hafta get outta here."

Even in a moment of levity, there was still the reminder of our situation.

"Right," I said, my laugh half-hearted. "I know it won't solve our problems, but I..." I shook my head. "I don't know what I was thinking." I felt stupid.

"...That it would make me feel better?" he asked.

"Something like that."  
  
He nodded. "Ah, the band-aid solution. Gotcha."

"Yep," I said, popping the "p" and bobbing my head awkwardly in a sort-of nod. "Band-aid solution."

The words hung in the empty air.

"Hey, look," he said. "It's cool and all. I appreciate you pointing this out to me. It's still totally sick, fucked-up hell-school aside. And you're awesome."

"Thanks?"

"For real! I mean it, yo." He started, as if hitting a moment of realization. "You want my autograph in exchange? 'Cause I gotcha covered—"

"Leon."  
  
"Huh? Heh, oh, I'm doing a thing, aren't I? Sorry, it's a reflex, what can I say?" He rubbed the back of his head, smile apologetic.

"Hey, forget it. We're... we're cool," I said. "Just... think of it as... a souvenir."  
  
"A what now?"  
  
"Souvenir? You know, like a 'I survived the School of Mutual Killing and all I got was this t-shirt' shirt."

When he gave me another weird look, I decided it was probably best to drop the jokes.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," he said.

He glanced at the stuffed rabbit I was still holding, then to the Monokuma still sitting on the glass case, then at me with a questioning look. "You're not actually gonna keep that thing are you?"

"Maybe," I said, giving the rabbit a squeeze. I was growing rather fond of her. That gremlin sitting on the counter on the other hand... "Not the other one though. It gives off to many 'I have too much free time so I force kids to murder each other for my enjoyment' vibes, ya know? Kind of defeats the purpose of a cute stuffed toy."

I didn't really know what to do with it, so I grabbed the thing off the case and held it up, and we looked at it together. It smiled at us. We didn't smile back.

"Maybe if you cover up the right side..." His sentence trailed off before he finished it. He knew exactly how ridiculous that suggestion sounded.

"Hm... I think it squeaks if you press its stomach."

"Try it."

I did, and just as I thought it would, it emitted loud squeak.

I held it out to him. "Want it?"

"Hell no," he said adamantly. He shook his head, pushing it away. "That thing's creepy as hell."

Deciding I'd had enough of the squeaking facsimile of our tiny monochromatic captor, I put it back on the shelf where it belonged. It made another squeaking noise as it was set down.

When I turned back around, Leon was watching me.

"Mukuro, we're friends now, right?"

"Sure." The answer was reflexive. We were at the point of "sure". He'd earned that much.

"Can you do something for me?"

I paused. "... Sure."

Ok, it was less reflexive. I could agree we were friends. I was less keen on agreeing to favors before I knew what they were.

"Junko is your sister, right?"

I could already see in what direction this was going.

"What can you tell me about her?" he asked.

I shut down. "Leon, I only met her yesterday, just like you. Hardly know a thing about her."

"Nothing?" he asked, expression falling in disappointment. "At all? Like... What kind of music does she like?"

"Ask her yourself." I was slipping back into my usual reserved self. "Although sis can sometimes be... strong-minded. Don't tell her I said that," I added, "I care about her very much, and she's never been outright mean. At least. Not to me. But you've seen how she can be."

Leon was nice, but I didn't like the idea of him hanging around Junko. She was my little sister, after all.

"Gotcha..." He looked to be in thought before shrugging and grinning.

He didn't seem to be discouraged. I didn't know what to make of it. I didn't think he'd be the kind of guy to pursue if it was too much work. And Junko, bless her soul, would definitely have been work. I was mystified.

"Anyways, I'm beat. I'm gonna head out of here. See ya, Mukuro!" And with a smile and a wave, he was gone.

I stood there alone in the school's gift shop.

_Well, at the very least, it looked to me like he had a really good time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a free-time chapter. Its supposed to be filler-y. I am sorry. Just pretend Junko is singing "Popular" during the makeover scene. It made me feel better. Also you guys can have some input as to the next character to get free time development, so please leave a comment.  
> Edit: oh my god I sent this out with so many mistakes I am so sorry.
> 
> Edit (2017): 
> 
> 2013 me: won't this joke be funny of Leon mistaking Mukuro for a lesbian?
> 
> 2017 me: Mukuro is such a wlw


	4. Chapter 1.3: The (Almost) Party Crasher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ch [].3 are motive chapters most likely.

"May I join you?"

The following afternoon I had entered the cafeteria to see Kyoko sitting by herself. She didn't speak, but nodded slightly. I sat down in the seat opposite her.

I looked around. Many of the other students were in the room as well, making polite small talk and eating. However, I noticed that Junko was not among them.

Thankfully, I found upon entering the caferertia, Junko no longer seemed to be on Leon's mind. He and Sayaka were sitting at a table, having a cup of tea. They were chatting animatedly with each other.

"—No really, I was bright red for days," said Leon, clearly in the middle of a story.

She laughed. "Oh my goodness, I have the same problem. Can't tan to save my life. Last summer when I came back from vacation all sunburnt and peeling, my poor manager nearly fainted when she saw me. 'Course, they'd rather I stay out of the sun anyways because of all the shoots I do. I mean, I get it, but it's all nonsense."

At a separate table, Hiro and Celeste were sitting together having a conversation. Or more accurately, from what I could pick up from the little I heard, Hiro was trying to cajole her into reading his fortune, but Celestia was having none of it.

"Come on, Celeste."

"No," she said, her tone firm.

"Please?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"Well, why not?"  
  
Just one fortune. It doesn't even have to be a good one." He pouted.

She scoffed. "Do I look like I'm running a charity?"

The corners of my mouth twitched in an small smile.

Kyoko made no attempt at conversation, but instead sat silently in her seat.

"How are you Kyoko?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she said briefly, not looking up at me.

She didn't elaborate any further, so I continued. "Been having fun?" I asked, more as attempt at humor than a genuine question.

She stopped looking down at the table and up at me questioningly.

I smiled wryly. "Yeah, me neither."

Just then, Junko walked into the room, in what appeared to be enthusiastic conversation with Hina and Sakura.

"-Yeah, I know what you mean, but my arms get so flabby, I just can't for the life of me build muscle there," said Junko.

"Seriously! Weight training, it works miracles. Trust me," said Hina.

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"I've been trying to eat healthier, too, although I can't stand it," said Junko. "Da--My manager insists though because I need to be able to 'run around the stage' or some—" She must have caught me looking at her because she paused mid-sentence when she spotted me. "Hey, big sis!" She waved, sauntering over to me, Hina and Sakura sitting down at one of the many other tables.

 _Those two seemed to have hit it off,_ I thought. Since day one, they'd been inseparable.

"Makin' friends?" Junko asked.

"Mhm." I was being facetious, but only a little. I looked up at her standing beside the table, and back at Kyoko.

"Actually, I was just leaving," said Kyoko.

"Aw no, don't go!" said Junko, and I couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or if that was just her usual intonation.

Kirigiri sighed, but she remained where she was.

Junko pulled up a chair, its feet screeching painfully against the tiles. Turning it around so that its back was facing the table, Junko sat down with us. "So.. whatcha ladies talkin' about?"

"Um... Nothing actually," I admitted.

"How boring."

Not knowing how to respond to that, I didn't answer.

he nudged me with her elbow. "I saw you and Leon together in the gift shop. What was that about?"

"What?" I asked, confused. I was a bit thrown by the sudden change of topic.

"I mean, are you guys _talking_ or what? Come on, spill," she pried.

"You know I'm not much of a conversationalist, sis."

She shoved me in annoyance, although it was too light to really be anything other than playful. "Oh, you know what I mean."

I hesitated momentarily before giving her a playful shove in return. Gently though. Gently. "Actually, he was asking me about you," I confessed.

Her eyes for a moment widened in surprise, but they then narrowed, her eyebrows raised and jaw set. "What?"

"Mhm." I shrugged, not quite sure why she seemed so pissed off. "Seems to have a thing for musicians. Wants to be one himself."

Junko didn't seem to be listening anymore. She gritted her teeth. "Son of a bitch," she hissed quietly to herself. She shook her head. "Just what I need, more creeps drooling over me. I leave the real world and come here to the wonder world of murder and tragedy and it still follows me like a shadow. Would it be so hard to meet someone... real? As if that doesn't make the love-ban hard enough."

"Love-ban?" I asked.

"Idols aren't allowed to date," she explained, still sounding cross. "Ruins their 'image' or whatever." Heavy quotation marks with her fingers. "Allowing desperate creeps to cling onto the smallest hope that they have the ever-so-slightest chance of landing you is part of the appeal of the gig. Even though, you know, they have a fucking shot in hell." Her voice was thick with sarcasm. She shook her head more vigorously. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope. I told myself I wasn't getting involved with musicians. I am d-o-n-e, done with them."

"How come?" I asked, intrigued.

"Too much baggage," she explained.

"But... you're a musician," I said, brow furrowing in confusion.

"My point."

Realizing that was probably the best answer I would get, I glanced over at Kyoko who seemed to be paying no mind to us and was deliberately concentrating on a speck of dirt on her gloves.

Junko was seething. "I'm gonna slap the dye right out his hair."

"Huh," I said, unsure whether I should laugh or not. "So I'm not the only one who noticed."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, I can spot a bottle-job from 20 meters."

"Shit, and they call _me_ the Ultimate Detective." I grinned.

"Hey, maybe I can be your assistant!" she suggested eagerly.

At least she was no longer mad.

"Heh, maybe... Hopefully it won't come to that though."

"Hey, who says we need a murder in order to do any investigating?" She partially covered up her face with her hand, her first two fingers and her thumb sticking out and the other two tucked away so that her eyes were still visible. "Elementary, my dear Watson." She spoke in a serene, serious voice.

"Uh, sis?"

She continued in her mysterious voice. "After brief analyzation, I've come to the conclusion that you're a B average student, wear a size seven shoe, your favorite color is purple, and you have one really awesome younger sibling. It's obvious, isn't it?"

"Size seven and a half, but nice try, Detective Enoshima."

She maintained her collected poise. "I could get used to this."

"Well, don't get too comfortable. If you steal my title, I'm pretty much screwed. I can't sing half as good as you."

"False, I know you can sing."

I shrugged. I might've been passable, but I was no pop idol.

"Do I look cool?" Junko quirked an eyebrow.

"The coolest," I told her. "Although I don't usually do the hand thing. That's new."

"It's my signature. I like being a detective. Makes me feel cool."

I chuckled. "Being a detective makes me feel cool, too."

She directed her attention towards Kyoko. "Let's see... If I had to guess, I'd say you're a runaway with some severe daddy issues."

Kyoko went pale, then bright red.

 _Shit_. The last thing I expected was for Junko to be right on the money.

"Junko!" I scolded her. "Are you alright, Kyoko?"

Her only response was to nod slowly, but she seemed to have composed herself by then.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko. Junko's mouth doesn't always have a filter," I said, giving my sister a pointed look.

"Hey, I resent that!" said Junko indignantly, breaking the facade as her arms fell to her side.

"It's alright," answered Kyoko, not addressing Junko but myself. She shook her head slightly, as if brushing off anything unwanted. "It seems to be a family trait."

I knew she was referring to the incident the previous day concerning the map. That was fair. I had put on the spot; I supposed that I deserved to be called out for that. I held my tongue. Regardless, I was too embarrassed to even know what to say.

The sound of loud voices and footsteps alerted us the the fact Hifumi and Toko had just entered the room. They were in the middle of a very loud, very heated discussion which was somewhat surprising, considering the fact that Toko rarely was one to start conversation. Her attitude wasn't... always the most inviting. She wasn't exactly what one would call approachable.

Nevertheless, there they were, each with an expression of irritation that mirrored the others.

"—And so we can obviously conclude that the author's 'Word of God' is the most valid interpretation of a body of work," said Hifumi haughtily. He was using his rare, deep authoritative voice, the one he always used when he was acting self-important.

"Yes, b-but even if you are the creator, once you put your work out in the world for people to see, people are g-going to interpret that however they may based on their own experiences, and those interpretations are just as valid as—"

"To misconstrue my argument, it's just! Do you not hear me? I am not saying that those perspectives are worthless. Ooooh, you don't publish and sell your own original works, you couldn't possibly understand! To have your characters wildly misinterpreted; well that should be a crime in and of itself!"

"Euggggghhhhh... W-what is there to misinterpret?" I noticed that her stutter was less frequent when she was riled up--although it was also more pronounced. "They're all one-dimensional wish fulfillment fantasies."

"Hmph!" He glared at her, a strange glint flashing through his glasses. "You're one to talk about wish fulfillment fantasies."

"What's that supposed to mean? That j-just because I like d-doujin or write f-f-fan f-f-fict--fan f-f-fictio--fics--that I'm trash? That is what you're implying, isn't it?" She pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"The only point I was trying to make is that author's intent is the truest form of interpretation. It is absolutely obvious!" He exclaimed in a booming voice.

"You're completely wrong. Author's claims don't completely i-invalidate fan interpretation. There's s-some worth in that, otherwise why would fanfiction be a thing? Ugh." She made a noise of frustration. "D-don't answer that. I can't believe I'm wasting my time. This is all a joke to you isn't it? Quit l-laughing at me. Don't lie, I kn-know you are."

If I were to make a guess, I'd say that her talent was a development of the desire to have her voice be heard by the world in some way. She was bound to feel pretty isolated, whether she truly was or not. Not that I was any sort of expert or anything.

"Bad childhood?"

I turned to the familiar voice.

Junko looked to me then over at the pair of them who were still arguing. She was putting on her detective persona again.

I nodded. "I would have... phrased it differently, but." I paused, finally admitting, "Yeah, probably."

"Which I'm guessing resulted in a desperate craving for positive attention and praise?"

I gave her a mocking suspicious look. "You sure you're not out for my job?"

She giggled. "No, but I do like to think that I'm a pretty good people person, that's all."

Just then we were disrupted by the sound of my name.

"Miss Mukuro Ikusaba! You will back me up in what I am trying to say, won't you?"

Before I could answer, the two of them were already heading in the direction of our little table.

"What? I... No... I mean..." I fumbled through my answer, uncomfortable at having been put on the spot. I kept glancing toward the exit, wondering how weird it would be if I were to just book it. "Are you sure wouldn't rather get the opinion of someone who is more well-read than myself?"

"No!" moaned Toko, ignoring me completely and still addressing Hifumi as she tugged at her hair. "W-why are you asking her? Are you still trying to prove how wrong I am?"

"Nonsense, Miss Mukuro Ikusaba!" He turned to Toko. "She is clearly a human being with some intelligence."

Her voice went up higher and higher in octaves the more indignant she became. "So that's it then! I'm wrong, just like always!"

I tried to pacify her. "Nobody is saying that you are wrong, Toko—"

She ignored me. "Ohhhhh, just go away, Porky. I'm convinced this whole non-conversation was just a set-up. I bet you j-j-just want--just want to--to make fun of me."

"Porky!" He cried. "You take jabs at my appearance without knowing the pages' true content! This 'porky' individual happens to be the one of the most brilliant young minds of our day and age!"

Beside me, Junko scoffed. "And people call me vain and self-absorbed," she mumbled. "Yeah, I mean vanity is great and all, but nothing beats good old-fashioned egotism, right?" 

I snorted.

Without warning, Junko stood up from her chair. "I'm hungry. Come with me to the kitchen, will you?" she said abruptly to me.

"Oh," I said, not sure what was going on but nevertheless playing along, "Uh, alright."

We went over to the kitchen, subsequently leaving Kyoko sitting at the table by herself. Well, she was by herself, aside from the two arguing newcomers whom she seemed to be trying very hard to ignore.

First thing I noticed when I entered the room was Chihiro standing in front of the open fridge. She smiled and waved when she saw us come in--a gesture which we reciprocated.

"I'm not actually that hungry," Junko confessed to me in a low voice. "I just needed to get out of there." 

Near the counter there was a large pile of dark red apples among the even larger stash of various fruits and vegetables, all in pristine condition. How the school managed to get ahold of fresh vegetation in its condition was a mystery unto itself.

Junko picked a top one from the pile and offered it out to me. "Want one?"

I took it from her hesitantly and looked at it. It was red and shiny, almost like something you would see in an advertisement. I didn't eat it though, not yet. "Where do you think all this food is coming from?" I asked, still examining the red fruit in my hands.

I heard a loud crunch.

"Hm?" said Junko, her mouth full of apple. Presumably she had taken another one for herself and had just bitten into it.

"Where do you think Monokuma is getting all this food?" I repeated. "It all seems fresh."

She shrugged, taking another bite of her apple.

"Actually, I had been wondering that myself," said Chihiro from behind us.

I turned to face her.

She was no longer by the fridge but standing just behind us. "I mean... you can't just save fresh fruit forever, right?" she mused. He must be keeping it somewhere."

I nodded. "It's so strange."  
  
"Huh?" asked Chihiro. "What's strange about it?"

"Well," I said. "It just opens up so many questions. I mean, there's only two possibilities I can think of."  
  
"Which are?" asked Junko.

"Well... Think about it. Either there's some sort of... place here where everything is grown," I explained. "Or... if it's not grown here, it has to be delivered, right?"

Chihiro's eyes went wide. "Oh! I see now!" She frowned. "But, I... never mind."

"No, no, what is it?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm... I'm just confused. If everything is being grown here, where is this place? And if it's being delivered, isn't the fact that the school is practically uninhabited... doesn't that worry anybody in contact with the school?"

"Exactly," I said. "We need to think about these things." I was in thought. "You'd think if he was planning to keep us here for a while, the food would be more along the lines of dried or canned food," I said.

"Canned food?" asked Chihiro.

"Oh my god," said Junko, coughing and nearly choking on her apple. "Don't tell me you don't know what canned food is."

"I... I know what it is," she said, perhaps a little too defensively. "I've just never had any before."

"Don't worry, you're not missing out on much," said Junko, still munching away. "Unless you want to experience the authentic feeling of being sad and broke firsthand."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand..."

"Don't worry, kiddo, you probably won't ever have to understand. Want one?" She held out an apple to Chihiro.

Chihiro took it with a quiet "thank you", but didn't eat it.

"Sit with us in the dining hall?" I asked Chihiro.

"Really?" For some reason, she hesitated. "I don't know... I should probably get going."

"I insist."  
  
"Well... Her face lit up in a beaming smile. "Alright, then. Of course!"

Junko sighed, turning to me. "Alright, well, I guess can't stay in here forever anyway. Poor Kyoko looked so uncomfortable when we left her there with War and Famine." Her words were sympathetic, but she looked as if she were trying not to laugh.

When the three of us went back into the cafeteria, we saw that the group of people in the room had actually grown in size. The first thing I noticed was a very fed up Kyoko still sitting at the same table. Said table had been nearly empty save for her just a little while ago; however, it was now filled students having rather loud conversations--the new additions being Makoto, Taka, and Mondo. She and Mondo appeared to be in the middle of a conversation.

"—I fail to see how that's a problem."

"I can't. I won't do it, sorry," said Mondo, holding up his hands in resignation.

"You said you wanted a sparring partner. I want to spar you," said Kyoko bluntly.

"Hello, Mondo!" said Chihiro, beaming at him.

He looked up at her. "Hey kid," he said gruffly, but in an almost affectionate way. He turned back to Kyoko. "Look I'm sorry, I don't fight chicks. I just don't want to hurt ya, ok?"

Junko cut in. "You know, she's a trained soldier. I don't really think hurting her is that much of an issue. She could probably take you out before you even knew what was happening. With both eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back."

Kyoko cut in. "Excuse me, I am perfectly capable—"

Junko ignored her, cutting her off. "Holy shit." pulled up a chair from the table next to ours and sat down, with the chair facing backwards like before. She looked around. "Is everyone here? Did you guys invite everyone so that you could throw a party without me?"

I spoke up. "Hello, Kyoko."

She glared up at me from her seat, presumably placing me at fault for the ever-expanding group of people at the table. I didn't really think that was fair. It wasn't my fault Hifumi had zeroed in on me. In fact, getting roped into their spat was the exact opposite of what I wanted. However, based on the look she was giving me, she certainly blamed me.

"Actually," mused Junko, who appeared to be talking to herself. "... That's not a bad idea. 1, 2, 3, 4..." She did was appeared to be a quick count of the people I'm the room. "15. Who's missing? Byakuya? Ah well, who needs him anyways."

"I don't like where this is going..." said Makoto, sounding uneasy.

"Come on, 'Kuro. Back me up here!" Junko pleaded, tugging on my arm.

"For what?"

"Weren't you listening? We should have a party!"

"A party?"

"Yes! Come on, it'll be great. It's a fantastic idea. Right, Makoto?"

"Well... It would be a good way for everyone to get to know each other," he said although he still sounded uncertain.

"Exactly!"

"Wait, I didn't necessarily—"

She ignored him, having already gotten the nod of approval, at least in her mind. "Guys, what do you think of having a party?" she called out to the rest of the room.

"Ooohhh, that sounds perfect actually."

"Splendid! Ha ha ha, how very festive!"

"Fuck yeah, what's the occasion?"

"Eugggghhhhh..."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," said Junko. "Right, so we're gonna have to organize this damn thing first." She squealed, practically jumping up and down. "Oh, I'm so excited!" She was talking very fast. "It's just so unfortunate that I'm not gonna be able to pull out all the stops, what with our limited resources."

The sound of static was heard from the speakers on the wall and with out warning the monitors flickered on to the display of Monokuma's face. Everybody turned to face the small screen on the cafeteria wall.

Junko groaned loudly and dramatically, as if to display to the entire world the depths of her disappointment and frustration. "Ugh... Not you again! Go away," she snapped.

"Nyohoho!" the bear cackled. "No can do, princess. There's been a lot less killing than I had been hoping for, and I'm not happy."

"Princess?" she cried.

Makoto spoke up, directing his voice toward the monitor. His expression was cross. "Well, if you were hoping for a bloodbath, you can forget it. Nobody here is killing anyone."

The bear shook his head in disappointment, his tone morose. "I don't understand what went wrong. I've got the setting, circumstances, weapons, participants... Oh that's right, motives! How could I have been so foolish as to forget?"

"Motives?" asked Hina, sounding uneasy.

"Of course! Even with everything properly set up, people always need a catalyst. Why don't you all head over to the A/V Room? I've got a _very special_ gift for each and every one of you." His grin, forever plastered on the creature's face, seemed even more mischievous and prominent than usual.

"Seriously? You don't even let me have my fun before you ruin everything with your creepy gifts and crap about 'motives'?"

She was not so much anxious and worried like the rest of us. Rather, everything in her behavior indicated she was simply disgusted and very put-out, as if she had been punished by a parent--rather than arguing with our captor over the incitement of murder.

Monokuma didn't answer her. The screen went blank, which left the fifteen of us alone in the cafeteria, giving each other nervous looks. Nobody was sitting anymore, the mere sight of Monokuma must have been enough to make everybody rise to their feet.

"So... Should we just stay here, or..." Hina's voice trailed off, her question hanging in the air.

"I think we should just go," said Kyoko, level-headed as always. "Rather than to question it or wait and see what will happen if we don't."

On a personal note, I was rather curious to see what the motives were, even if going seemed rather risky.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. The first one to break it was Sayaka.

"I don't want to go. I have a bad feeling about this," she said, her voice quavering.

"Well, surely at some point everyone's curiosity will be too great," said Celeste. "I'd rather we all just go together so that there are no secrets. Everyone just knows. We don't know the alternative. At this point it seems easier to just comply," She remained as cool as ever.

"We should have more trust than that," insisted Makoto. He raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. All eyes were on the small boy, but it was as if his voice reached every corner of the room. He took a deep breath. "Okay. We'll go. It's best if we all stick together. But just so everyone knows," he added. "I would like to believe that nobody here would ever kill somebody. No matter what Monokuma throws at us, we must not give up."

\--

The video room was not hard to find; it was right next to the entrance hall and the gift shop. Nevertheless, the dark green walls were strangely eerie combined with the poor lighting--although it could have just been the nervous atmosphere.

In the end, we had all decided to go. Even Byakuya, who hadn't even been in the cafeteria with the rest of us when the announcement had been made, but he'd seen the message on a monitor outside the cafeteria.

To be fair, the mood was not exactly lively, but he looked about as pleased as ever to be in our mixed company.

"B-Byakuya, you're here!" stuttered Toko in surprise as he entered the A/V room.

"Of course. Byakuya wouldn't want to miss anything involving technology," said Junko.

He ignored her. "I wouldn't want to fall behind in the game."

Hina glared at him. "It's disgusting how you can call this a game."

"Nevermind," said Kyoko. "Let's just see what this is about." She sounded about as excited as the rest of us at the prospect. However, any traces of fear of anxiety were undetectable. The woman was like stone.

She opened the door and went inside, the rest of us following suit.

The room was even more dimly lit than the hallway, with at least sixteen stations where monitors were set up, along with one large screen at the front of the room. At the closest station, there was a small cardboard box. Taking a peak inside, I didn't know what to expect--maybe something sinister?--but inside was a stack of DVDs. Each one had a name—one of our names—scrawled on it in what appeared to be marker. I selected the one with my name on it and sat down at one of the monitors, as did the rest of my classmates.

I put the disk in the slot, pressed the power button, put on the pair of headphones that was sitting at the desk, and waited anxiously.

As soon as the monitor came on, the first image present on screen was one of my mother.

 _What is this?_ I thought.

She was smiling at me from her seat in the worn-in armchair that sat in the tiny living room of our tiny, cramped, old, shoebox of an apartment. I could see the drab window curtains hanging in the background, the ones I had always hated.

"Hello, dear." Her familiar voice, although altered slightly throughout the speaker, was soft and comforting as usual, but perhaps it was more noticeable due to the fact that I may have been just a touch homesick. Hell, her presence alone was comforting, despite the fact that I knew it was only a recording.

I could feel my eyes watering. "Hi, Mom," I answered back, unable to help myself, my voice breaking. I felt a strong urge to reach out and touch the screen, as if by doing that, I could somehow reach through to her. But it was only an image.

"Have a good time at school, honey. I'm proud of you."

She smiled. She actually smiled, the effect reaching her the crow's feet on her hooded eyes that were the same shade of blue as mine. I always looked much more like her than Junko ever did, what with our freckles and black hair--albeit hers was much longer and typically worn in a braid, and interspersed with the rare traces of gray.

A part of me, the more irrational and definitely more homesick part, was hoping in vain that she wouldn't ever leave. I just wanted her to stay.

The other part of me wondered when exactly she had filmed this footage.

The screen went black, flickering back on after a brief moment, but the only thing on the visible was static.

Slowly the picture came back, and the image was still of our apartment living room, only something was clearly very wrong.

The apartment—our apartment; the one that was always slightly too dark and too small and was always too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter and always smelled a lot like the numerous books that lined the shelves everywhere and was always making a new home for some odd new contraption or tool; the one with the ugly mug-stained old coffee table that was always littered with Mother's work; the one where we could settle down and relax together when one or both of us came home from a case; the one that had finally started to feel like home after years of moving from place to place—was completely trashed.

The room was dark, the lamps broken, the window shattered, the curtain mangled and torn, the contents of the coffee table all over the floor. The old armchair had been turned on its side.

But the worst part, was that my mother was nowhere to be seen.

I couldn't speak, all I could do was stare, transfixed, at the screen in horror. I could hear through my headphones cries from the other students, the panic in their voices mirroring my own emotions. My own voice was caught in my throat. I could feel a scream rising, ready to burst out of me, but any strength to speak died upon my lips.

Words flashed across the screen in big bold letters. "World-class detective gone missing without a trace! Are you ready to solve this mystery, Ultimate Detective? Will Detective Ikusaba ever reunite with her daughter? Find out after GRADUATION!"

The monitor went black.

"Mom?"

_Mom!_

I removed my headphones, still in a state of shock. I could now clearly hear the distress of other students. Looking around the room, everyone looked as panicked as I felt.

 _I've got to get out of here._ I shuddered. Had the room always been this cold? _I've got to get out of here. I can't stay. I need to leave._

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Junko?" I called, standing up. There was no answer. "Sis?" From where I stood, she was nowhere to be seen.

At the monitor beside me was Makoto. His face was ashen and he had this sort of blank, hollow look on his face. I'd never seen him this shaken. In fact, all of my classmates appeared in varying degrees of shaken: from Toko's frantic muttering of of "Why this? Why this?", to Sakura's resolute silence and Mondo's anger, to Chihiro and Taka who seemed to have been driven to the point of tears, to Byakuya and Kyoko who seemed very unsettled even while maintaining their composure.

"How can this be?" cried Taka. While he was already frequent crier, he looked beyond the point of tears straight to completely and utterly devastated.

"No, no, nononono," said Hiro, speaking more to himself than to anyone else in the room in panicked chanting. "This is all gotta be a sick joke. My--"

"What--what is this?" asked Hina, her face ashen. "They're messing with us. It has to be fake. Please tell me it's fake! There's no way they'd be able to pull something like this off, right, Sakura?"

Sakura remained silent.

"Sakura?"

"Not now, Hina."

"But--"

"I said not now!" snapped Sakura, fists clenched, hair standing on end, her anger sparking electric and somehow more terrifying than we had even anticipated. She'd been reigning it in for so long, I couldn't even recall the sound of her raising her voice.

Directed towards Hina of all people, it was even more peculiar and frightening to see her composed exterior crack."I-I'm sorry..." said Hina. She had been shocked speechless.

Sakura looked equally as horrified with her own behavior. "I must go."

Just then, I heard the sound of rushed footsteps along with a click and the creaking of an opening door. I turned I'm time to barely see an unmistakeable head of pink hair disappear as it slipped past into the hallway.

"Junko!" I called. On instinct, I ran after her into the hall. "Junko!"

I didn't think. There wasn't time to think. My sister needed me!

Looking around the hall, I did not see Junko. The only people in the vicinity were Sayaka and Leon; Sayaka sitting on the floor, hugging her arms to her body and shivering all over, her breathing fast and erratic, Leon crouching down in front of her doing his best to comfort her.

"This is so cruel... Why are we being subjected to this? Kill or be killed?"

"Shhhh... It's ok."

"I c-can't stay here..."

"Sayaka, relax. Please—"

"I can't stay."

"You won't. Sayaka, please, calm down."

"I-I need to leave, I don't want to die!"

"You're not gonna die. Sayaka, Sayaka, look at me. Nobody's going to hurt you."

"I don't believe you!"

"Sayaka, please. Look at me. Breathe. Just relax, and breathe with me. Good. Listen, I promise you that no harm will come to you, ok?"

Not wanting to seem like I was eavesdropping, I ducked into the nearest classroom only to find, to my surprise, a familiar figure already standing in the middle of the room, facing away from the door.

I closed the door behind me, it clicking as it closed shut, but if she heard me, she didn't say anything.

I approached her cautiously. "Junko?"

She didn't answer.

"Junko? Sis?" I reached out a hand, placing it on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" she cried, tearing away from me and fleeing to the far left corner of the room although she was no longer facing away.

I tried to reason with her. "Junko, it's me. It's your sister." I approached her again, and this time she stayed where she was although I wouldn't try to touch her again even if in an attempt at comfort.

"I don't want to die," she whispered, barely audible.

"I know."

She was trembling. "Just... Don't leave me, ok?" Before I knew it, her arms were around, and she was hugging me and crying, her body wracked with sobs.

"I won't. I won't, I promise." Not quite sure was to do, I patted her awkwardly on the back. "I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. Never forget that."

I let her stay like that as long as she needed to. "Those videos..."  
  
"They're fake," I said. "They have to be. Mom is... There's no way the Mastermind would be able to pull a stunt like that off without having everyone in the outside world in a panic... right?" I was trying to convince her. I wasn't sure if I really did a good job. Maybe I was also trying to convince myself."

She sniffed, finally letting go of me and wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry for. All that."

"Don't be," I told her. "Listen, we're going to leave this horrid place. The two of us are going to leave together, I promise. As your big sister, I'm going to keep you safe. Okay?"

She nodded.

"Okay."

\---

"Are you alright, Makoto?" I asked. I had returned to the video room a little later that evening. It was empty now, save for the two of us. He was still sitting down at the same monitor as earlier as though he hadn't moved an inch.

"Oh!" He turned in his chair, startled to see me standing behind him. "Sorry, Mukuro, I didn't see you." He smiled although I could see that the usual warmth in his kind smile was only half-hearted from wearyness. "I'm..." He frowned. "Actually no, I'm not ok."

"It's alright, neither am I."

When he didn't answer, I continued cautiously.

"What did you see?"

"... My family."

I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I sat down on the floor beside him, sighing.

"Me, too," I said. "Well, my mother, anyway."

I didn't know why I was telling him this. I normally wasn't one for sharing. But... I felt like I could trust him. Maybe that was what it was.

He seemed surprised at my actions, but he sat down next to me on the cold tile floor. "You don't have any family besides your mother?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. Not until I met Junko... Do you have any siblings?" I inquired, turning to look at him to see that he was looking at me as well.

He had a curious look in his eyes. "One," he answered. "My little sister, Komaru."

"And how far would you go to keep her safe? Would you do anything?"

I stared at him intently, needing some sign, any sign or reassurance. I needed to know that this new feeling of overprotectiveness just came with the perks of being the older sibling. I needed to know that it wasn't just me.

"Mukuro?"

"Don't worry, I don't plan on killing anyone. But I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep Junko safe. Anyways, I've seen enough dead bodies in my life."

He sighed, hugging his knees. "Are we ever going to get out of here, Mukuro?"

My gaze strayed away from him. "I don't know."

"I don't know what to do. As moral compass, I want to keep everybody safe. It's part of my job." He sighed. "Right now, I feel like I'm failing. School is supposed to be a safe place. It isn't supposed to be like this."

I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I stayed silent.

"As scared and desperate as I am to get out of here, I'd never be able to kill anyone," said Makoto. "It's hard to believe that somebody else here might be different."

I admired his idealism, even if I could never be on the same page. "I learned quite while back that... some people have very different agendas and prerogatives."

"I understand," he said, turning to look at me once again. "You guys are my friends. I trust my friends. I mean, I would like to be able to trust everyone here, and for everyone to do the same for me. As far as I've seen, the people here are good. I have to believe in that."

I nodded. "I agree. They're all decent kids."

I said it, and I really meant it. They were odd, yes. A little eccentric. Reckless, irritating, cryptic, unpredictable, irresponsible, even sometimes scary. But good.

For a while, all we did was sit together in silence on the cold, uncomfortable, speckled tile floor.

"You looked really nice the other day, Mukuro," said Makoto, first to end the silence.

I flushed red, hoping that maybe he wouldn't notice in the nonexistent light.

If he did, he didn't say anything.

"Thanks, Makoto."

"During our introductions I was actually kind of intimidated by you," he admitted sheepishly. "But you're actually really cool."

"Intimidated?"

"Yeah, you know, because you don't talk much. It makes you seem all serious and business-like."

"Huh."

I furrowed my brow. I'd never really thought about it, but perhaps I did look unapproachable.

"Although I guess the moral of the story is not to take everything at face value," he added.

"Or the moral is not to hit people with doors."

"You make it sound like I did it on purpose." He pouted. "I really am sorry about that, you know."

"It's fine. How about on our way out, you let me hit you with the door so that we're even." I got up from my little spot on the ground and offered out hand to him. "Deal?"

He laughed, taking my hand, and I helped him up. "Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you lovelies for being so patient. Please do comment, feedback is always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 1.4: Author's Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long! Hope you like it.

For the next few days, there was an uneasiness in the air that made it difficult of everyone, including myself, to relax around each other. Makoto has proposed that we still eat together for breakfast. His reasoning was that hopefully it would help the camaraderie, and also simply to keep people within eyesight of each other. It was a morbid thought, but I agreed and supported his reasoning.

I mostly kept to myself. I had always been somewhat of a reserved, so it really wasn't much different from usual. Even Junko wasn't one hundred percent herself. She did seem to be spending a lot time with me, something which I had actually grown to appreciate.

The person that I probably spent the most time with aside from my sister was Makoto. He was a very friendly person, and I found conversation with him to be engaging. Plus, he was surprisingly relaxed, despite being a hall monitor--which was definitely a breath of fresh air in comparison to the overwhelming majority of very strong personalities in this school.

I also was beginning I realize I had misjudged him. Upon first impression he seemed to be very soft spoken, but that is only in the day-to-day. He was actually an assertive and strong leader, and the more time I spent with him, the more I grew to respect him. In short, he was a really easy person to like.

In our conversations, he often spoke about his belief in trusting others and believing in the good of humanity and that is what gave him hope. He did once explain to me that that was why he received the title that he did: he really wanted to strive for that moral goodness that he believed in as well as maybe help others try to strive for that as well, even if he knew the goal would never be quite attainable.

Perhaps his beliefs were naive--after all, I had seen a lot of terrible things in my years as a detective--but his optimism was so palatable that it was kind of contagious. Even the grim, world-weary detective wanted to believe in this "goodness of humanity" when I was with him.

The unease that had settled in the atmosphere for the past few days was beginning to diminish, not just for me but for everyone. By this time, the group breakfasts were pretty much carried out from force of habit. Not to mention, if we tried to get out of it, Makoto would simply cajole us back into going. He was surprisingly effective in his powers of persuasion.

Regardless, even if we were adhering to the to the group breakfast agreement, people definitely did not feel pressured to change the pace of their daily routines. In general, there were three types of people: the early risers, the people that arrived approximately on time, and the people seemed to consider time as a non-issue. I usually fell somewhere in the middle; I'd always considered promptness to be at least of some importance, but, not being an early bird, it was hard for me to really seize the day with a sense of urgency.

Junko was one of those early risers. Which was at first surprising, but considering her profession and exactly how busy idols are known to be, it only made sense. On more than one occasion she had rung the bell to my room to come down to breakfast only to find that I was still sleeping. The fact that my sister could wake up and get herself fixed up and pretty and still somehow be done earlier than I could wake baffled my mind.

The other early risers consisted of Makoto, of course, along with Sayaka, Kyoko, Hina, and Taka. Next were the people who arrived around the same time as myself, and those were usually Sakura, Mondo, Chihiro, and Hifumi. Hagakure, while best intentioned, tended to get lost or sidetracked on his way, so he was late about as often as he was on time. Last ones to arrive were usually Toko, Byakuya, a Celeste, and Leon.

The morning of what would be our seventh full day together was the first time this changed.

Hina was the first to notice. "Someone is missing..." She looked around the room. "Where's Hifumi?"

"He hasn't left his room all morning," replied Celeste, sipping on her tea. "I even tried ringing his room earlier, but he didn't answer." A part of me was surprised, since Celeste rarely showed great interest in others.

"I'd better check to see if he's alright," said Makoto anxiously, getting up from his seat.

"I'll go with you," I said, getting up hastily as well and following him out cafeteria.

We stood outside Hifumi's room. Makoto hesitated before he knocking on the door. "Hifumi?" has asked into the intercom. There was no reply.

I rang the bell. "Hifumi are you in there?"

Still no answer.

"Maybe he already left the room," said Makoto.

"Try the door."

"But it won't open from the outside without Hifumi's ID, you know that."

"Try it anyway."

Rather than question me further, he simply nodded, trying the door handle. We both heard the click that indicated that the door was indeed unlocked.

We looked at each other with confusion, even if I had been preparing myself mentally for this what this possible outcome could mean. I heard the static, indicating the speakers being turned on as Monokuma's voice rang throughout the room.

"Attention! All doors required for proper investigation have been unlocked."

There was static, and then the air went dead again.

He looked at me anxiously. "That can't be good." He sighed. "I guess we have to go in, don't we?"

I didn't answer.

He shuddered, turning the door handle. It clicked again, creaking ominously as it slowly swung open.

Even bracing myself, I could feel my heart sink at the sight of Hifumi's corpse laying there, slumped against the wall, a knife impaled in the middle of his chest.

Makoto went pale. "Oh no..."

"Mukuro!" I heard Junko's voice calling from down the hallway. "Are you alright? I heard the announcement on the speakers." She poked her head through the doorway. "Are you guys—" Her eyes fell upon Hifumi's dead body, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The monitors clicked on. " _Ding dong bing bong!_ A body has been discovered!"

Just then, what seemed like the rest of my classmates entered the room, pushing and shoving as they went.

"Oh sweet, you're all here," said Monokuma. "So I don't have to rush you all down to the gym. Such a pain. Puhuhuhuhu! Basically here's the lowdown. You guys get to do some investigating for... a period of time. But when time's up, I'll call you all down to the court for a class trial. You discuss and then take a vote on the culprit. If you're correct, then you live, and I execute the culprit. If you're wrong, the culprit goes free, and everyone else gets executed instead. Either way, someone's getting offed tonight. Puhuhuhuhu! And about time, too. I was beginning to think it would never happen. Alright, well get to it. You only have so long, so investigation start!" The monitor went dead.

Everyone was in various states of distress and somberness.

"What are we going to do?"

"Oh dear..."

"How in the hell are we supposed to figure this out?"

"This is so horrible. Please tell me this isn't happening."

"I-I need to leave. Now. I can't st-stay."

"Please, everybody calm down."

I paid little attention to them, their reactions nearly fading into just being background noise. I could feel the grief, stronger than I had expected, washing over me, but I did my best to suppress it. Emotions clouded judgement, and now was not the time for that. Right now, I had a job to do. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little heavy-hearted at the loss of one of my classmates, even one I didn't know particularly well.

I knelt down beside Hifumi's corpse, examining it. In the background I could register Makoto saying that there should be two people assigned to keep watch of the crime scene at all times. We needed volunteers.

Mondo raised a hand. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Mondo," said Makoto. "But we need one more person, just in case. Not that I don't trust you, but I think as a whole it would make us feel better if we had two people keeping guard."

Hina looked to Sakura, and she nodded. "You have me. We will make sure nobody interferes with the crime scene."

"Thank you, Sakura."

I figured since Makoto felt that he could entrust them with this task, then so could I.

Looking at the body, the cause of death seemed to be the knife wound in his chest. The knife appeared to be a cooking knife, so it must have come from the kitchen. However, he also appeared to have suffered at least one blow to the head, judging by the large bruise that was dripping with blood. That could mean that the culprit had used something to hit him over the head. I made a note to check for anything that possibly could have ever been used for that purpose.

Upon examining his body more thoroughly, I found no more injuries inflicted upon him nor any objects upon his person. Makoto was beside me to my left, and he actually caught something before I did.

"Mukuro," he said. "You're going to want to see this." He pointed to something on the wall behind Hifumi. I leaned over to see symbols painted on the wall and blood. There were three, two circles and a line, rather sloppily done. It looked like... a name.

I glanced down at where Hifumi's hand lay limp. There was no blood. Strange.

"Hifumi wrote this?" asked Sakura. I hadn't even realized she'd been watching us.

"It's possible." The most obvious assumption to make was that they were letters, but for the time being I was not sure of the full meaning behind them. Perhaps I would once I got a better view of the whole picture.

Continuing my investigation, I found that there as no hair on the carpet or anywhere else in the room, not even hair belonging to the victim. Hair was usually a fairly helpful clue, but the fact that there was none did indicate something: the culprit had attempted to cover up their tracks between the time from the murder to know.

I searched through all his drawers and through every nook and cranny of the room, but I couldn't find anything I considered a prime candidate for the weapon that had struck Hifumi in the head, but there were a good number of books, some of them fairly large in size. However, all of them were either linen-bound or paperback, and considering the amount of blood from the wound, using any of these books would have just left a stained. These were all clean even if they were more than a little worn. Their condition made it seem as though they must have been very loved by their owner. The thought made me sad, but I pushed it aside for the time being. Anyhow, their fragility made the likelihood of their use as a weapon seem even less possible.

I also found that his toolbox was at the bottom of one of the drawers, still unused. Although none of the objects in the toolbox or in the girls sewing kits fit the weapon's profile anyways.

"He was struck in the head," I muttered to Makoto. "Which means there was probably something used as a weapon. Now, there is a possibility that this is not the case, but considering what the wound looks like, it seems very probable. It would have to be something pretty heavy though. Does anything here fit that profile? It doesn't have to be in this room."

"Check the trophy room." It wasn't Makoto who answered, but Mondo who had been standing guard of the room behind us, and we turned to face him in surprise.

He shrugged. "There's tons of stuff in there. You're bound to find somethin'."

"Go check the trophy room," I told Makoto. "Let me know if there's anything suspicious." I turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"The kitchen."

Before I left, I spotted Byakuya in the periphery of my vision. I hadn't even noticed him show up. He seemed to be reading over the Monokuma File provided in our student e-handbooks. They were provided by Monokuma and gave us additional information about the case. I was surprised at his silence. Usually by this point there would be a haughty comment, but he seemed very into his own investigation.

On the upside, I was reminded to check my own Monokuma File. Taking a look at it, it stated:  _Hifumi Yamada died from a blow to the head with a large blunt object. His death was instantaneous. However, he sustained several additional blows to the head._  It also stated that he was stabbed by a knife. All this happened between Nigh Time Hours and this morning.

I ran into Toko in the hallway right outside the room. She was shaking her head and muttering.

"Are you alright, Toko?" I asked.

"I-I'm alright," she stuttered. "I'm j-just not very good at handling blood is all."

I briefly tried to make her feel better, but in the end I still had to leave her because I still needed to investigate the kitchen.

Entering the kicthen, I found that Hina and Chihiro were already there. They both said hello to me which I replied to with a hello as well.

"Why are't you investigating?" I asked them.

"Oh, I'm... taking a break," said Hina with an apologetic smile. "I wouldn't know where to start with the whole investigation thing in the first place." She seemed on edge, despite her smile. I chalked it up to our predicament.

"Right now I can't even bear to look at poor Hifumi," said Chihiro sorrowfully. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"Oh, it's alright."

There wasn't much to find investigation-wise in the kitchen—although I was able to confirm that one of the knives was indeed missing.

Since there was nothing left for me to see in the kitchen, I made my way over to the trash room, figuring there might be some evidence to find there. However, I found my way barricaded by a locked screen.

"Hey!"

I heard a familiar voice shout, and I turned around to see Monokuma standing right in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him crossly.

"Only the janitor can open the door."

"Alright, well who's that?"

"Only the janitor can open the door!" he repeated more forcefully. "They're the only one who has the key." He then left the room, disappearing from sight although i knew he was bound to be back later for the trial.

Well, with the room locked off, my best bet would be to just take a look at it from where I stood until I could find this "janitor."

The first thing I noticed, in fact I had seen it when I first entered the room, sad that the incinerator was actually still on, despite it being locked off. The other clues I saw was that there was what looked like a broken glass ball and a burned scrap of a white shirt. The ball sat below a large button that seemed to be "on" switch to the incinerator.

Now, if the incinerator was still on, that meant the last person who accessed it either forgot to turn it off or was no able to. If it was the latter, that should have meant they probably were not able to turn the machine on as well, since they would have been prevented by the metal screen, and yet this was not the case. Unless of course, they were able to turn on the furnace in a way that was unable to turn it back off, such as... throwing something. The gaps between each bar on the metal screen certainly seemed wide enough for something of that nature to have happened.

The full picture was getting clearer, putting together this and the message on the wall. I headed back to Hifumi's room in order to find Makoto although he wasn't there when I checked.

"Where's Makoto?" I asked Byakuya, who was standing beside Hifumi's body and appeared to be in deep thought.

"He left."

"Yes, but where to?"

"How the hell should I know? He's none of my concern." He scowled at me. "I'm busy."

I decided there wasn't much more I would manage to get out of him, so I left to find Makoto somewhere else. Perhaps he was still in the trophy room.

He wasn't although to my surprise I did find Celeste in there.

I took this opportunity to search this room as well. Examining the trophy cases, I could see one of the glass cases was shattered. Inside, there were the remains of a trophy that looked snapped clean in half. It had been screwed to the floor. That thing had been nearly three feet long and was made of wood and metal. It definitely could have been the weapon I was looking for although I had strong doubt that I would actually find it.

Before leaving, I decided to ask Celeste something I had been wondering. "Celeste, in the incinerator room there was something that looked as if it could be a crystal ball. Was it yours?"

"Oh my," she said, hand over her open mouth in surprise. "However did it get there?"

"So then it _was_ yours?" I asked. I was surprised at her reaction. She was usually so impassive.

She nodded. "It must have been misplaced. Although if truth be told, it's actually made of glass. It's completely useless. It's more of a prop, you know?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I have a real one," she clarified. "My actual crystal ball I would never misplace. Although I haven't been able to find it the entire time I've been here." She sounded sullen. "Isn't that ironic?"

"Hopefully you'll find it," I said. "Although can you remember where you last left the glass one? If you don't it's alright, but it could be helpful."

She shook her head. "I gave it to Hiro. He's been trying to get me to read his fortune ever since we got to this damn school, so I let him have it. I was hoping it would shut him up."

"Alright. Thank you, Celeste," I said, doing my best to suppress my amusement.

"My apologies for not being a more helpful investigator," she added. "The whole idea of running around searching for clues is just not my cup of tea. Also, I am feeling a strong sense of grief at this entire situation that I cannot even explain myself."

"It's not a problem. You've been very helpful." I couldn't bring myself to be truly mad at anyone who didn't want to investigate although it was a little disconcerting that so many people seemed to be ok with pushing the responsibility onto me.

I waved to her on my way out of the trophy room. Of course, the universe would never allow me to take my eyes off where I was going without being punished for it, so I ran directly into someone, causing us both to go crashing to the floor.

"Ow! Ok, I take full responsibility for the door thing, but this one is your fault."

"Makoto!" I flushed with embarrassment, sitting up, as did he. "I was actually hoping I'd run into you although I definitely didn't mean it in such a... literal sense of the phrase."

He didn't answer.

"Sorry," I muttered, hurriedly standing up, offering out my hand to help him up which he gratefully took.

"It's alright," he said. "I was actually looking for you, but I guess you were doing the same. I wanted to let you know about the missing trophy, but I'm guessing you already know about that."

I nodded. "We'll look for it if we have time."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"In the kitchen? No there wasn't really anything there for me to find. Although I've been meaning to ask you, do you know who the janitor is? I was hoping to take a closer look at the trash room."

"Oh! Well, about that... Monokuma actually gave the key to me. And I figured we could keep a schedule, so that every person could have janitor duty for a week."

"Then who's the first one?" I asked him.

"Oh... See, the thing is... It's actually Hifumi."

I didn't say anything.

"Mukuro?" he asked, looking at me apprehensively.

"Well..." I sighed wearily. "That changes everything."

"I don't understand."

"If the culprit knew Hifumi was the janitor—which is entirely possible—they could easily burn they're evidence." I began heading back down the hall to the return to the trash room.

"Mukuro, where are you going?" asked Makoto, doing his best to keep up with me.

"I want to show you something," I said, not breaking stride or turning to look at him. "It's the perfect crime, don't you see?"

"What is?"

"Kill the janitor and you can get rid of anything without anybody finding out or any trouble."

"What are you going on about?" he said, sounding exasperated.

"I think it's a set-up."

"What is?"

"This." We had reached our destination. I opened the door, showing him inside the room. "What does it look like to you?" I asked him, gesturing towards what sat behind the metal screen.

He peered through. "It looks like... Someone used whatever that is to hit the switch to the furnace?"

"Exactly. Yet I searched Hifumi's room top to bottom as well as did a full body investigation and never found the keys."

"Full body investigation?" He grimaced.

"Yes Makoto, weren't you listening?" I said impatiently. "Now this could mean that he misplaced the keys, but I think the reason why they're missing is because the culprit took them."

"And that's why they left the furnace on, along with the leaving the crystal ball there?" asked Makoto. "Mukuro, I'm afraid I'm not quite following."

"Think about it, Makoto. Why would the culprit need to use any of this to turn on the incinerator if they already had the key?"

"Perhaps they didn't know," he suggested.

"That could be the case, but it does explain why Hifumi would be the victim, doesn't it? Kill the janitor and you can burn any evidence that you need to. That's what all this is about." I pointed again to the broken glass ball. "The culprit wanted to lead us off the scent. You know, fake evidence to lead us astray. All this time I thought it was..."

My mind was going a million miles an hour. The dying message, the glass ball... I thought I had known what they meant. I had taken the bait. I was wrong, so wrong.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "There's got to be more. Listen, don't say anything to anyone else about the janitor thing. At least, save it for the trial."

"Oh, well—" began Makoto, but I wasn't listening.

"Maybe there's something I missed? I... I need more time."

But just then, we heard the familiar static of the speakers and I could feel the dread creeping through me as they spoke the last two words I wanted to hear. " _Time's up!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my writing is usually a lot more dialogue heavy than this, but I felt like this was more appropriate for an investigation. So I apologize this probably didn't have as many quips or funny scenes in it, but it is a game about murder, so I guess that should probably be expected?
> 
> Also I would like to apologize for being a cliche, since literally falling for each other is like the oldest trick in the book.


	6. Chapter 1.5: Trials and Tribulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the trial! Who will it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking.... 4 years... to update...
> 
> A note! Someone commented SUPER recently which… thanks? Comments even on abandoned works are so appreciated. So actually… I recently played the English localization so I am continuing, however, there are going to be some changes. First, the names. From now on, I’m not using honorifics, it's too hard for me to keep track. Since I replayed with the English localization, they don’t use honorifics, I would prefer not to try to attempt getting them right and messing them up. Secondly, everyone is using first names from now on and nicknames from the canon english translation. As much as I personally dislike the English nicknames, it’s for the purpose of consistency. Same goes for the spelling of the names. In terms of referencing the localization, I’m not calling the killers “the blackened” though. My excuse? I just don’t want to. They’re still going to be “culprits”. Additionally, Monokuma is going to be referred to as Monokuma, not Monobear, although it doesn't make much of a difference..
> 
> I also would recommend you go back and re-read ch 1.4 as a refresher, because I cheated a little bit and changed a couple details. I was 16 at the time, I feel like I could've done a better job. The changes make it more consistent with this new update. It's fairly short, so it shouldn't be too much. However, I did make some tweaks to the previous chapters as well (including the name changes), so if you would like you can also re-read the other chapters, but it's not quite as important.
> 
> Be prepared for a really long, dialogue-heavy chapter! It’s 15 kids all standing in a circle and arguing, much like the game!

The wait for the elevator doors to open was deathly quiet. "Nerves" was a good word to describe it although "dread" was probably even more accurate. Looking around the dimly lit room, I realized all of my classmates were not yet present.

"Where's Kyoko?" Makoto asked as though voicing my thoughts aloud.

Sayaka answered. "We haven't seen her once since she left the investigation scene."

He looked at me, as if searching for an answer, but I shook my head. I was just as in the dark as everyone else.

The silence continued. I turned over all the clues in my mind, trying my utmost to piece them together—despite how little we had to go on.

"So... What do we do now?" Makoto murmured quietly, and I knew the question was intended for my ears only.

"What do you mean?"

"If all the evidence we've gathered is fake, then what good is it? What are we going to do if it's all been useless?"

"Not useless," I corrected him. "It can still be helpful in some way." Even false trails could be unintentional clues.

"But if it all points to the wrong culprit, then how is it helpful? It was put there intentionally to deceive us."

"I'm... not sure. Not yet, anyways. Things will become clearer during the trial." Even as I said it, I knew it would take more than just words of reassurance to convince him. All the same, there was some truth to my words. It tended to be easier to put the pieces of a puzzle together after observing the suspects for a little while.

"What exactly do you plan on doing once we get in there?" he asked skeptically.

I sighed. "I'm gonna wing it."

"You can't be serious."

I could feel his disbelieving eyes on me, but I ignored him. "You'd be surprised what you can learn when you let everything unfold."

“Something is off. Isn’t the case too ambiguous? How can you possibly be so confident?"

"Has anybody ever told you that you ask too many questions?" I said irritably. My mind was still buzzing with too many questions of my own. I wasn't really confident, not in the slightest. I wasn't comfortable with the idea of having to bluff my way through something as serious as this when our lives were at stake. It definitely would not have been method I would typically choose, but what other options did I have?

Just then, Kyoko entered the room without so much as a word.

"You're late," said Taka as he addressed Kyoko, his arms crossed.

"I was busy." And that was the only explanation we were to receive because at precisely that moment the doors to the elevator opened.

The elevator ride to the courtroom was just as bad if not worse than the wait for the elevator itself. It was painfully long, as though we would never reach our destination and instead we would simply just keep going and going and going forever.

At last, we arrived at our destination. We stepped out of the lift and into a large, cylindrical room with blue walls, red curtains, and a black and white checkered floor. There were sixteen stations (presumably one for each student), arranged in a circle, along with one large throne at the end of the room that faced opposite the entrance. The seat was taken up by Monokuma, who grinned at us as as he sat leisurely upon his throne.

Each station was labelled with a name, indicating for which student it was intended. We each went to our appropriate station so that they were all taken, save for one. The last one seemed empty until I saw the large picture of Hifumi that was propped up in a frame that occupied the space. The portrait had been crossed out in a dark red X.

"What took you so long?" complained Monokuma. "Did you guys stop for drive-thru on the way or something?"

Nobody answered.

"Hostile..." He laughed. "Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu! Let's get this show on the road."

"Hold on." I held up my hand, wanting to clear up one thing. "Before we start, what is that for?" I pointed to the portrait of our fallen classmate.

"Funny you should ask. Well, just because the dead are no longer with us, doesn't mean that can't be with us in spirit. I felt that everyone should really participate! Now that we've got that out of the way, let's quickly go over one more time how this little dog and pony show will proceed. Firstly, I let you bastards discuss. Once you reach a verdict, you take a vote on the culprit. If you're correct, I punish the culprit. If you are wrong, I punish everybody else, and the culprit goes free. Capisce?"

Silent nods.

"Alright, well let's get this party started. Class is in session!”

We all looked around at each other.

“Before we formally start,” began Makoto. “I would like to give the culprit a chance to turn themselves in. You know, you can still do the right thing.”

It was admirable, but to no avail. The room was silent.

He sighed, and it could’ve been my imagination, but was he trembling? “I figured I should try."

“Enough with this cheesy crap!” piped up Monokuma. "Let’s start with the murder weapon. Discuss."

So it began.

"Well, that's easy. The murder weapon was the knife," said Junko, getting our debate rolling.

"Taken from the kitchen,” added Sakura. "You can tell by looking at the handle.”

So far it wasn't anything that couldn't be easily figured out.

"Hmmm... That makes sense. There did seem to be a knife missing from the kitchen," said Chihiro.

"So then it's settled? Look's like that's the murder weapon for sure—" began Junko.

_"You've got that wrong!"_

It was Makoto, his voice surprisingly clear and strong. Privately, I was more than a little taken back by his boldness, but I—as well as the others—waited expectantly to hear what he had to say.

“Excuse me?” asked Junko, giving him a dirty look for cutting her off.

“Hang on, Makoto, are you saying Junko here is wrong?” asked Hiro.

"It's kind of difficult to contradict the knife blade sticking out of Hifumi's chest," said Junko as she folded her arms—sounding more than a little put out.

I knew I could back him up if he needed support, but instead I waited to see if he would correct his course.

“Exactly!” said Taka. “And there were no other weapons found at the scene of the crime!"

“Well, no, that's not actually the problem," said Makoto, shrinking back oh-so-slightly beneath Junko’s piercing glare, back to his usual self. "It's just that Hifumi also suffered a blow to the head."

 _There we go_.

“Wait, what?” asked Junko.

“Yeah, what are you on about?” asked Mondo.

I explained. “Upon inspection of the body, you can see bruising along with an open gash on the crown of the skull.”

“It’s also stated in the Monokuma File, for those of us who bothered to read it,” said Byakuya.

“Lay off, I was guarding the scene, alright?” grumbled Mondo.

Sakura nodded. “As was I. Those of us who are watching guard have to put our faith in the rest to catch the culprit. Understand the risk we are taking and have patience.”

“Anyway, what’s this guy driving at?” asked Leon.

“Yeah, what gives?" asked Junko. “So what if there was bruising?"

Byakuya rolled his eyes, his smug aura palpable. “Do I have to spell everything out for you? Two different forms of injuries—"

“Which means there's definitely got to be a second weapon involved in the attack,” said Makoto.

“I wasn’t finished, but yes, Makoto is correct."

I chimed in, coming to Makoto's aid. "Especially probable considering the fact that a trophy is missing from the trophy room. The one right outside the gym. Right, Celeste?" I turned to look at her.

"Hmmm?" She blinked, looking up with wide eyes as if surprised at having been reeled into the conversation. "Oh yes, of course. I was in the trophy room during the investigation, I can confirm. There’s a rather large one that appears to have been broken at the base.”

“Are you saying a trophy was used as the murder weapon?” asked Sakura.

Before I could answer, Sayaka spoke.

“But if the knife and the trophy are involved how can we be sure which one is the murder weapon?” she asked.

“Yeah," said Leon. “I mean, it’s not like we can tell which part of the attack came first, right?”

“Does it really matter which came first?” asked Hina. “I mean, if he was attacked with two different weapons, does the order really make a difference?"

I decided to speak. “It could make all the difference.” I had a hunch, but I was hesitant to voice it just yet. I needed more information. The others looked at me quizzically.

“But I guess we’ll never know,” said Chihiro, looking sadly at the floor.

I shook my head. “Actually, the Monokuma File specifically states that the victim died from a blow to the head. So we know that much.”

“Aha!” cried Taka. “I see! So what you are saying, is the knife was the initial weapon used to attack, but the final killing blow must’ve been delivered by that second weapon!”

“That’s gotta be it!” said Hina.

“Wait.” I held up a hand. "Let’s hold off on any conclusions for now. We should consider all possibilities before making hasty decisions.”

“But the Monokuma File—“ began Leon.

To my surprise, Makoto interrupted him. “No, I agree with Mukuro.” He looked deep in thought. “Something about this seems off.”

I wondered if we were thinking the same thing.

“Off? asked Kyoko. “In what way?”

Makoto frowned. “I-I’m not sure. Mukuro?” he asked, looking to me.

“Well…” I tried to put in a way I felt the others could catch on. I knew from experience that I would persuade no one if I out and stated all my conclusions right off the bat. People need to come to their own conclusions, they don’t need to be led. “Consider this, is there something peculiar about the state of the murder weapon?”

“The state of the weapon?” He pondered for a moment. “Oh! It’s missing, is that what you’re talking about?”

“Precisely.”

“Huh?” asked Hiro. “But we still have the knife.”

“G-god, you’re dense!” cried Toko. “W-we already established the knife is not what k-killed Hifumi!”

“Hey!—“ he began to retaliate, but Sayaka interrupted him.

“No, Hiro has a point. I’m confused, too.” She frowned. "Why would the killer bother dispensing of one murder weapon but not the other?”

“See!” said Hiro. “I knew there was something fishy…” He gasped, pointing a finger in a moment of realization. “A plant!”

“Ugh, he’s lost it completely…” said Junko.

Several of the others tutted in disappointment, but I waited to see if there really was water to his supposed epiphany.

“No! Not, like, the sentient vegetation that will eventually rise against us,” he began, and I admit he almost lost me for a second, but he added, “a _plant_. You know, a fake, a decoy.”

“So, you mean like a bluff?” asked Celeste. “To put it in your language. To hide one’s true intentions.”

“Exactly like a bluff,” I said, looking to Hiro. As our eyes met, I shot him a small assuring smile.

“So what you’re saying is that the knife was purposefully left behind to trick the rest of us?” asked Byakuya. “An interesting hypothesis, but to what end?”

“A few different possibilities, but whichever is the case, I think it’s a real possibility that the culprit has something to hide. For instance, when we realized the killing blow was the strike to the head, we made a pretty big assumption based on what we thought we knew.”

“Assumption?” asked Sakura.

“You mean the assumption that the knife was the first attack and the other weapon, the trophy, was the final blow? Based on the information given from the Monokuma File?” asked Makoto.

I nodded. “However, if we consider what Hiro just said, don’t you think it’s possible we need to think about it the other way around?”

“Mukuro, are you suggesting the trophy was the first attack?”

Hina spoke. “But the Monokuma File—“

“Think about it. If the true murder weapon is hidden, that must mean the culprit doesn’t want us to see it or know about it at all. If the knife was really used in the attack, why not take it as well? Makoto,” I implored. “When did the knife come into play?”

He thought about it. “After Hifumi was dead, right? That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “I propose that the missing murder weapon isn’t just the first weapon used in Hifumi Yamada’s murder, it was the _only_ weapon used.”

“Interesting,” said Celeste. "Perhaps the killer did not realize that the information would be available to us in a helpful file,” She smiled that eerie smile of hers. "After all, they are our very first culprit."

“Interesting indeed,” said Byakuya.

“Wow, Hiro,” said Leon. “That wasn’t completely batshit.”

Hiro sighed. “Everyone is always so surprised…”

“I mean, yeah, I think you guys are talking sense,” said Mondo, “but that still doesn’t explain everything.”

“An oversight!” said Taka. “You must elaborate."

Mondo nodded, but Byakuya answered for him.

“Naturally, what the killer would have to gain from presenting us with a decoy. Isn’t that right, Makoto?”

“Uh.” He sputtered a bit, taken aback by Byakuya’s acknowledgement. “Y-yeah. If the true murder weapon is gone, the culprit must have something to hide, right?”

“Vague, but adequate.” He seemed even more disappointed than usual.

“Unfortunately, we do not have our hands on such murder weapon—“ said Celeste, which I saw as my opportunity to jump in.

“So then we’ll have to make do with the information we do have. Don’t you all agree?”

She looked at me. “Such as?”

“Well, the knife, for instance.”

Makoto spoke. “Mukuro is right. It clearly comes from the kitchen, so is there anyone who noticed it go missing at any point?”

“If I may?” said Chihiro, raising a small hand.

“Chihiro, speak with confidence so the rest of us may hear what you have to say!” said Taka, a little too loudly.

“Oh, um,” began Chihiro, but upon hearing Taka’s words she tried her best to raise her voice, “I mean, what I meant to say was that I was in the dining hall sometime in the evening, before our observed Night Time hours. From what I remember, the knife was definitely there when I first entered the kitchen.”

“From what you remember?” asked Byakuya with a scoff.

“I-I’m sorry—“ began Chihiro, but she was cut off by Leon.

“Hey, drop it will you?” he said, glaring at Byakuya. “She’s doing her best!”

“How can we expect to trust her testimony if she doesn’t even trust her own memory?”

“Chihiro,” began Sayaka, “are you sure that’s what you saw?” Her coaxing nature seemed to have a more reassuring effect on Chihiro than either of the boys. Chihiro had been close to tears, but she took a deep breath to calm herself.

“I’m pretty sure….” said Chihiro. She shook her head. “No! I’m absolutely sure! However—”

“Yes?” asked Sayaka.

“The second time I returned to the kitchen, the knife was gone.”

“Are you sure?”

Chihiro nodded.

“And what was the span of time in between?” asked Sayaka.

“Maybe 10 minutes."

“Is there anyone else who can attest to this?” asked Celeste. “While I'd like to believe you, I would feel much better if we had a corroborating witness."

Mondo raised a hand. “Aye. I was with Chihiro in the dining hall the whole time. Man’s word of honor.”

“Ok, so these two are in the clear,” said Leon.

“W-wait a sec!” It was Toko. “H-how do we know that these t-two aren’t in on something together?”

“What?” asked Chihiro, eyes going wide.

“Yeah!” said Hina. “For all we know, you guys could be conspiring together!"

“Hey! What the hell are you playin' at?” demanded Mondo. “Don’t go accusing us of anything, we’re just telling you what we saw!”

“Awfully defensive,” said Byakuya. “However, that does bring up a problem I would like to clear up.” He turned to Monokuma. “You. Bear.”

“Hm?” Monokuma held up a paw, tilting his head curiously. “Is my beautiful voice required?"

Byakuya ignored this. "Can the culprit have an accomplice?”

“Oh, sure! However, only the culprit, a.k.a. the one who commits the actual murder, can graduate. In other words—“

Kyoko finished his sentence. “A culprit can have an accomplice, but only the culprit would benefit from the crime. Therefore, the accomplice would have little to no incentive to tag along.”

“Bingo!” said Monokuma with a laugh.

“There, are you happy?” said Mondo, “You got your answer, we ain’t suspects.”

"Fortunately for the two of you," said Byakuya. "Your alibis check out just fine."

“Well, if it wasn’t you two, then who was it?” asked Sayaka. “If you have anything else to add, it will only do more to clear you guys as suspects. Try to remember,” she implored earnestly, “Did anyone else enter the dining hall during this time?”

Mondo frowned, brow furrowed as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, yeah. One person. But…” He looked to Chihiro.

“It was Hifumi.”

Silence. Chihiro continued.

“At the time, we didn’t think anything of it, but in retrospect, he—he was acting rather odd.”

“Odd?” asked Sakura sharply. "In what way?”

“Like, acting super shifty, y’know?” said Mondo.

“I asked him if he wanted to join us,” said Chihiro, “but he refused."

“Seemed to be in a real hurry to get out of there,” said Mondo. "Guess now we know why."

“But if Hifumi was the one to grab the knife,” said Sayaka, “that doesn’t explain…”

“How he ends up dead on his dorm room floor?” asked Junko, finishing her trail of thought. I cringed at her more crass choice of wording, as did a few of the others, but nevertheless her point remained. She shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Listen, all we know is that before he showed up, the knife was still there, and after he left, it was gone.” Mondo shrugged.

“I got it!” said Taka. “He was using the knife to defend himself!”

“Or perhaps…” I began.

“Perhaps?” asked Makoto.

Kyoko finished my sentiment for me. “Perhaps we need to consider the possibility that Hifumi was more than a victim of circumstance.”

I nodded.

"Kyoko, are you suggesting…” Makoto seemed too fearful of the words to even say them, so instead Byakuya took over.

“—That Hifumi grabbed the knife in hopes of using it to kill another student?” he asked. “That seems to be the gist of it.”

She looked away, arms folded as she seemed to stare at nothing. “Well. It’s just a theory.”

“I… wouldn’t consider it off the table,” I said slowly. When I received some questioning looks, I added, “if we consider the possibility that Hifumi wasn’t expecting his attacker to fight back, let alone defeat him, I think it makes a lot of sense.”

Makoto jumped in. “So the killer was responding in self-defense?”

I hesitated. “I suppose it’s possible, but that doesn’t explain the wounds.”

“Wounds?” asked Makoto.

“If we follow this logic, the knife was used to attack the culprit, but not utilized in the response attack.” I continued, “According to my analysis of the body, Hifumi did indeed sustain not just one, but actually several blows to the head with a blunt object.”

“Strange.”

To my surprise, it was Kyoko. She looked intense, as though deep in thought.

“Sorry, why do you say that?” I asked.

She shook her head, not looking up at the rest of us. “Never mind. Not strange exactly. Just... The fact that you say it was definitely several blows to the head. You are certain?”

I nodded. “Positive.”

She responded with a slight nod in return. “Multiple attacks are a sign that the attacker wasn’t just aiming to injure…” Her eyes met mine, and it was as if I knew what she was about to say before she said it. “They were aiming to kill.”

A shiver ran down my spine. Indeed, that had been the conclusion I had drawn as well, but hearing it aloud, I was struck by the direness of our situation.

“And what exactly is strange about that?” Byakuya spoke again, same condescending tone as usual. “It’s a game in which we must kill to survive, the culprit must’ve known this when they went for the weakling Hifumi.”

“Hey, cut it out!” said Hina in indignation, hair almost seeming to stand up in her anger. “Have some respect, will you?” There were tears welling up in her eyes.

“I agree with Hina,” said Celeste coolly, “The poor boy is dead. Have you no sense of decorum?"

“Very well, if you’re going to ignore the fact that Hifumi brought this upon himself, then by all means please keep living in your fantasy land where we all hold hands and sing kumbaya,” said Byakuya.

Hina shook her head. “You make me sick.”

I ignored their quibbling, too deep in thought going over all the facts of the case. There was a contradiction in there somewhere that was gnawing at me. My guess was that if Kyoko was correct, Hifumi saw his obligation as the janitor as an opportunity to dispose of any evidence that would give away his crime. However, if this was the case, his plan had clearly backfired. I wasn’t sure if the culprit knew of his janitorial duties, but the keys definitely were not on his person when I searched him. So… why the sloppy cleanup trail?

“Hello, Earth-to-Mukuro?” said Junko, her voice bringing me back to reality. “You still there? Give us something to work with, Ultimate Detective.”

“R-right. Of course, Sis.” My sister needed me, I had to give them something. I coughed, clearing my throat. I had a hunch, I decided seeing it through might help me get somewhere. “Uh… the sloppy cleanup. Let’s start there.”

“Huh?” asked Hina.

“The cleanup on the evidence. The culprit left all sorts of clues.” If my hunch was right, the clues were in reality a dead end, but I hoped by talking it through I could possibly make more sense of it—or even get the culprit to slip up and reveal more.

“Look, you’re my sister and you know I love you because I have to, but can you cool it with this whole cryptic crap?” Junko frowned at me.

“Well, if certain individuals had actually applied themselves to the investigation, they might actually know what Mukuro is talking about. It’s not rocket science,” said Byakuya.

“Fuck off four-eyes, no one asked you.”

Byakuya’s ears turned red, but before he could even respond, Makoto interjected loudly. “O-kay! Before that escalates…” He turned to me. “You’re talking about the trash room, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

He continued. “The furnace had been left on, but the gate was still locked.”

“So?” asked Junko.

“Yeah, maybe someone just forgot to turn it off,” suggested Hina.

Taka spoke. “Incorrect! I had gone with Makoto who had just received the key to use incinerator the day prior. If it was left on, I definitely would’ve noticed. Therefore, it is most likely that the furnace was left on at some point last night!”

“Ok, sure, but what does any of this have to do with a… sloppy cleanup trail?” asked Leon.

“On its own, the furnace isn’t all that suspicious,” admitted Makoto. “However, that wasn’t the only strange thing about the trash room, was it, Mukuro?”

“Makoto is correct,” I said with an affirming nod and a confident smile.

“Christ, those two are just birds of a feather, aren’t they?” I heard Leon mutter.

“Sure it isn’t more like a hive-mind?” asked Hiro.

I blushed, trying my best to ignore this as I continued. “Anyway, as I was saying—“

Celeste interrupted. “You are referring to my crystal ball, yes?”

“Sorry?” I asked.

“The additional evidence in the trash room. It’s my crystal ball, is it not?"

“Well, yes—“

Hiro gasped. “You mean the one you lent to me? I was looking all over for that thing!"

“It was found broken beside the incinerator this morning,” said Byakuya.

“But, wait, aren’t those things supposed to be, like, unbreakable?” asked Hiro.

“Are you sure you’re not thinking of diamonds?” asked Hina. She rolled her eyes.

“For the record, it is made of glass,” said Celeste, ignoring Hina and Hiro and addressing the rest of the students. “As I explained to Miss Mukuro, it is nothing more than a prop. I have spares.”

“So... you’re a con-artist?” asked Leon.

“I never said that!” she snapped. Once she regained her composure, she added, "It is just… difficult to convince my clients to believe in my clairvoyance without the pageantry to go with it. Would they be nearly as impressed if I read their fortunes from a small scrap of paper inside a fortune cookie? My gifts cannot be translated to the physical world, so crystal balls, tarot cards, the lot, it gives them something substantive to put their faith in. I am simply giving them the showmanship they desire.”

“Alright, sheesh. Whatever, lady,” said Leon. “Forget I said anything.”

“That aside, we have to face the fact that Celeste’s crystal ball was found in the trash room, along with the burnt scrap of a white shirt,” said Makoto.

“But that could be anybody’s!” said Hina.

“Indeed,” said Sakura, much more calmly than Hina, possibly trying to level her energy. “There are numerous individuals among us who I am sure possess white shirts.”

“True,” said Makoto, “But the important part is that the shirt indicates that the culprit was hasty in their attempt to discard evidence. Or alternatively they were in a position where they couldn’t get rid of it completely.”

“So, the crystal ball implicates either Hiro or Celeste, correct?” asked Taka. “Since Celeste is the owner, and Hiro was borrowing it.” He pointed an accusatory finger. "Either one of you, explain yourselves!”

“That’s right!” said Hina, banging one fist on the little stand in front of her station. “You’ve got a lot to answer for!"

 _Hmm.._.

“Not necessarily,” I said, finally deciding to speak again. “Hiro fully admits to losing said crystal ball, don’t you Hiro?”

“Uh, yeah,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Whaddaya say, Celeste? No hard feelings?”

She sighed. “It is in the past.” However, she didn’t strike me as the type to easily let things go. Hiro also looked uneasy.

“Anyway,” I said, “this means the ball was not in either person’s possession the night of the crime. The culprit could’ve easily stumbled upon it at random.”

“Celeste did admit to having spares…” said Sayaka.

“True,” I said, “but before we make any hasty conclusions, consider how the crystal ball was being used.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sayaka.

“Come on,” I said. “Think.”

For a moment, everyone stood in silent befuddlement before Junko finally exclaimed in annoyance.

“For fuck’s sake! The ball was used to turn on the switch for the incinerator! There’s your answer, did everyone get that? Now can we please move on with this?”

I was surprised. “Actually, yes, Junko, that is correct.”

She smirked. “I have my moments. I’ll admit, I'm feeling pretty smug right now, it’s pretty nice. Is this how Byakuya must feel all the time?”

He frowned but didn’t respond.

Makoto spoke. “Well, if Junko is correct, the culprit would have to be able to hit a very small target from a great distance away. And all through a small hole in the metal grate…”

“And there’s only one person here with skill set to accomplish such a feat... Isn’t that right, Hina?”

I grinned triumphantly.

All eyes turned to Aoi Asahina, and she paled instantly. “No! That’s—that’s crazy! There’s gotta be a mistake, nobody could hit a target that small!”

“Perhaps this is true for the average person, yes,” said Celeste, “but you are no average person, are you? To the Ultimate Softball Star, hitting that switch must’ve been a walk in the park.”

“You’re wrong!” She was shouting now, hair once again standing up in her anger. “You’re making a mistake!”

“The only mistake here is the slapdash amateur job you did to hide your involvement,” said Byakuya. “In fact, I think Hifumi’s dying message points right to you."

“D-dying message?” asked Toko. Several of the others also exclaimed in surprise.

… But strangely, Hina was not one of them.

“What? There’s a dying message?” asked Kyoko, for once seeming legitimately shaken rather than her usual calm and collected self.

“Yes, written in his own blood, no less,” said Byakuya. “The letters on the wall behind him clearly spell a-o-i, which can only be your first name, Aoi.”

When she didn’t respond, he continued.

“I’ve been suspicious of her since the trial began.”

“Hmmm… I agree, her behavior has been rather strange,” I said. “Hasty to jump to conclusions, placing blame, possibly to avoid suspicion.”

“Because she feared the evidence would implicate her,” said Byakuya. “Am I wrong?”

Hina took a step back, eyes wide in horror. She looked completely backed into a corner. “I...” It was so faint I could barely hear her.

“It’s true then, isn’t it, Hina?” asked Makoto, his eyes sad. “I didn’t want to believe it, but…”

“It was me.” Hina didn’t look up, and instead hung her head sadly. “I’m sorry I didn’t say so straight away. I was just scared, you know? I didn’t know what to do.”

I didn’t say anything. We were finally getting a confession, after all. But something about this seemed off.

“I needed to use the incinerator last night. I guess Hifumi saw this as his opportunity to strike, so he came at me with the knife, and I guess he hadn’t counted on… m-my ability to fight back, and so I managed to disarm him and stab him with his own weapon. I was only protecting myself, you gotta understand!”

“But what about the strike to the head?” asked Kyoko.

“He… he hit his head against the wall. When I disarmed him, I guess he’d lost his balance, and he hurt himself.”

Her testimony didn’t line up with the sequence of events I’d put together at all. It didn’t even match with the Monokuma File, but everyone seemed completely convinced.

“Well, I suppose it’s settled then. Isn’t it, Mukuro?” said Kyoko, looking right up at me as she said it. Perhaps it was my imagination, but she seemed to be testing me, as though daring me to find a contradiction. I had no idea whether this meant she believed in Hina’s innocence or not.

“It’s done,” said Hina. “Go ahead and cast your votes. I—"

_“Wait!”_

My voice reverberated throughout the courtroom. My eyes had squeezed shut, and when I opened them again, I could see everyone else in the room staring right at me.

“Huh? What is going on?” Monokuma looked over at me curiously.

“Y-yeah,” said Hina. “I thought we already agreed it was me. You got a confession and everything! Drawing it out like this is only making it... making it harder for me.”

“I-I just think there are some inconsistencies between your testimony of the events and some of the basic facts of the case.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Hina, practically shouting so that it was no longer a question. ”I did it! It was me! You have the proof!”

“Very well, Mukuro,” said Byakuya, ignoring Hina’s protests. To my surprise he was smiling. It was the same smug smirk as usual, but all the same, I couldn’t believe he was letting me speak. He had seemed so intent on proving Hina's guilt. “Where would you like to start?”

“Uh…” For once I was unprepared. “The… the dying message!” I just remembered something strange about it that I hadn’t been able to piece together until just now.

“What about it?” asked Hina indignantly. “What other meaning could the letters a-o-i possibly have?”

“She’s right, Mukuro,” said Makoto. “And we already have a confession.”

“I just think there’s far too many strange things about it,” I said. “For instance, the way the name is facing.”

“Yeah? What’s so strange about it?” asked Hina.

“Well, if we’re assuming Hifumi wrote the name with his finger, back facing toward the wall—”

Toko interrupted me. “Th-then it should’ve been upside-down, r-right?” she asked, although from her tone it sounded like she wasn’t even sure of her own conclusion. “U-upside-down and backwards.”

“Toko is correct,” said Byakuya. She blushed, mumbling something to herself as she looked down at her own hands. “What’s more—”

“Besides,” said Kyoko. “In case no one else has noticed, Hifumi is also not the sort of person who refers to people by their first name.”

“She’s right,” mused Leon. “Dude’s a full name kinda guy. I distinctly remember—”

“—Being referred to as Mister Leon Kuwata on more than one occasion,” Sayaka finished for him. “Right?”

He nodded, looking slightly perturbed.

“Sorry, just intuition.”

Kyoko nodded at the both of them.

“Maybe he just put in the effort to write it correctly so he could be absolutely sure his message was received,” suggested Taka.

“But Taka,” I said, “I examined the body, and his hands were clean. There was no blood on his finger.”

Someone cleared their throat, and we all looked over to see Byakuya glowering at the rest of us for having the audacity to interrupt him. “As I was saying,” he said, “The definitive proof was in the Monokuma File all along.” He looked to Makoto.

“Oh, um..” Makoto opened up his handbook. “It says… ‘Hifumi Yamada died from a blow to the head with a large blunt object. His death was instantaneous. However, he sustained several additional blows to the head’.”

“See?” said Byakuya. “If Hifumi’s death was instantaneous, there is no way he would have been alive long enough to write that dying message himself.” He pointed a finger at Hina. “All the clues up to this point have been a lie. Miss Asahina here, is being framed.”

“You’re wrong! You’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong!” cried Hina. She was practically screaming, her hands balled up into fists at her sides. “It was me! It had to be me! Listen to me! You—you’re going to get us all killed!” she said, but I could’ve sworn I heard her hesitate. “Nobody else could’ve been able to get into the incinerator room to burn the shirt!”

“I go to the trouble of proving your innocence,” said Byakuya, “And that is all you have to say? What do you gain from keeping up this charade?”

Seeing Hina’s reaction to Byakuya’s theory, I knew something wasn’t quite lining up. While I agreed with Byakuya’s premise, there was just one part of his statement with which I took issue.

_If she was being framed, why was she trying so hard to implicate herself?_

“This is intolerable,” said Byakuya, sneering in disdain at Hina’s continued protests. “I see no need to provide more evidence myself, but Makoto, since you clearly know the answer, please inform the class.”

“I do?” asked Makoto.

“You should, since you’re the one who told me. Before the trial.” Byakuya sighed. “Still can’t keep up, I see. The victim, Makoto. The choice in victim is the clue.”

_Of course!_

“W-what on earth is s-so special about Hifumi?” asked Toko.

“Hifumi is—” I began, but I didn’t get an opportunity to finish.

“I was clearly talking to Makoto,” He snapped. "I’m through with you. I’d hoped that at the very least our Ultimate Detective would be willing to liven up our game, but you’re just as disappointingly dull as the rest.” For a moment, his gaze met mine and he seemed to challenge me, until he finally looked away with bored disinterest.

I flushed red, fists clenched in anger and embarrassment. Instead of answering to him, I turned to Makoto. “Makoto,” I demanded. "Monokuma gave you the key to the incinerator, didn’t he?”

“Oh! Y-yes, he did.”

“And you gave the key to Hifumi?”

“Yes,” he said again, nodding. “He was the first one in the rotation to receive the job as janitor.”

I nodded. “That, I believe, is your answer, Byakuya.” I stood defiantly. “Isn’t it? Makoto told us both that he gave Hifumi the key to the incinerator. You’re assuming that the killer chose Hifumi because of his status as the janitor.”

“Hmph.”

“But Mukuro, we went over this before the trial even started,” said Makoto. “‘Kill the janitor, and you can burn any evidence that you need to’, that is what you said.”

“And yet she felt no need to disclose this relevant information,” said Byakuya. “Wasting our time with inane baseball theories.”

“I agree,” said Sakura, “This does seem like crucial information.”

I gritted my teeth, scowling at Byakuya as I said, “I was waiting for it to be relevant to the discussion. I didn’t think we’d get a confession prior.”

“But I thought that we established that Hifumi was the attacker in this situation?” asked Sayaka.

“Reverse the logic, and it still works, I suppose,” said Celeste. “Perhaps Hifumi saw his janitorial duties as the perfect opportunity to dispose of evidence.”

“Exactly,” I said.

“You—you don’t know what you’re talking about!” said Hina. Tears were streaming from her eyes. “It was me! I didn’t know that Hifumi was the janitor.”

“But in your testimony, you said the reason you were with him is because you were going to the trash room together,” said Chihiro.

“I was lying! I didn’t know, I swear!”

“Well,” I said, “it’s possible, but when I did a full search of Hifumi’s body, the keys definitely were not on his person.”

_“What?”_

Several of the others seemed to gasp audibly in shock, including Hina, Taka, and Makoto.

“You searched him?” asked Taka.

“It was necessary,” I said, wanting to keep it short. I was aware of the uncomfortable gazes on me, but I ignored them, still in thought.

“And furthermore,” said Kyoko, and I broke my reverie to pay attention to her, “Hina, I’d like to go back to your shaky testimony.”

At this point, Hina looked too shaken to speak just yet, but she nodded.

“Your testimony isn’t in line with the evidence. It contradicts Mukuro’s investigation of the body as well as the Monokuma File.”

“Which part?” asked Hina.

“You said that you stabbed Hifumi with the knife, yes?” asked Kyoko.

Hina nodded again, slowly this time, the beads of sweat visible on her forehead.

“But as we have established several times, the Monokuma File clearly states that Hifumi’s cause of death was not the knife. It was the blow to the head.”

“So?”

“Don’t be dense,” said Byakuya, impatient. “The stories don’t match up. You—”

“Hina!” I was too focused to even acknowledge Byakuya’s reaction to my interruption. My words tumbled out in a rush. “Hina, if Hifumi died from the blow to the head... Was that knife there to hide the true strength of the attacker?”

She shook her head adamantly. “You’re wrong. I’m telling you, you need to vote for me. If you vote for the wrong guy, the rest of you are going to die.” She sounded so convincing that despite all the contradicting evidence, a part of me wanted to believe her.

“All the evidence—” began Byakuya.

I was struck by an idea. I needed to ask her something.

“Hush,” I said to Byakuya, watching Hina intently. She was still as stubborn as ever, but her energy to continue protesting seemed to be losing steam.

“Did you just—”

I shushed him again, still not taking my eyes of Hina. “Hina?” My voice was careful.

“What?” She looked up at me and glared. It was a look I’d seen before, but never directed at me.

“Tell me something.”

“No.”

“Don’t be foolish, Hina. I already told you my theory. The trophy, just outside the gym, was screwed to the floor. The base was snapped. Are you strong enough to break that trophy? I just need a yes or no.”

She ignored me.

“If I’m wrong, you’re going to get us all killed. But I don’t think I am wrong.”

“I’m telling you, you’re wrong. It was me.”

“Hina, you’re not being framed, are you?” And even though I asked a question, there was an air of certainty to my voice. “You’re trying to protect someone else.”

She didn’t answer, instead was hunched over, her face in her hands. She seemed to be crying.

“Only someone really strong could break a trophy that size, and then swing it with enough power to kill someone,” I said. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

Silence from Hina. Instead, a different voice spoke.

_“Hina.”_

It was Sakura.

Hina, still ignoring my question, looked up at her, eyes red and still brimming with tears.

Sakura spoke again. “Hina. It is enough.” There was a note of finality in her tone that nobody dared question.

Hina stood up straight again. “Sakura?”

“It was a valiant effort, but the ruse is up.” This time addressing the entire group, she said, “I will no longer hide.”

“Sakura?” Makoto’s eyes were wide. “It was you?”

She nodded.

“Why?” asked Makoto.

“I-I thought I was protecting Hina.” she began. Sakura was putting on a brave face, but I didn’t miss how her voice seemed to waver for just a moment. “You were right, for the most part. He was going to attack. I saw Hifumi and Hina together and thought it seemed suspicious. Hina saw me, but Hifumi did not. I was outside the dining commons when he left. I saw him conceal the knife. I knew where they were going. So I grabbed the trophy, and I followed.” She frowned. “Hina is my friend. I thought I was saving her.”

“You did!” said Hina. “Sakura, you did, you saved me! You were just in time, Sakura. I thought I was dead for sure.”

Sakura shook her head. “I thought I was saving you, but really… I might have just been trying to save myself.”

Hina’s eyes went wide in shock and horror. “What do you—”

“The multiple strikes,” said Kyoko. “You didn’t hit him just once, right? It was multiple times.”

“He died instantly after the first strike,” said Sakura. “I knew it instantly. I should’ve been careful. And even when I knew, I could have stopped… But I didn’t just want to stop him. I… At the time my judgement was clouded, I was worried about Hina, and my gang, and myself, and my… my Kenshiro. My boyfriend, he is… he is in the hospital. He was involved in an accident, his condition is worsening, and it was my... I wish... When I first saw the video, I knew that was it was never my intention to expend any of your lives in order to see him again, but…” She bowed her head in shame, then looked up at the rest of us.

“Forgive me,” she said. “I allowed for Monokuma’s tricks to get to my head. I came to myself afterwards, and I tried to do the right thing. I told Hina that I was not going to hide. She insisted that she owed me, that she take the fall for me, but I refused. The case against me was too damning. It was never my intention to trick any of you. When I saw the body this morning, saw that the scene had been tampered with, I was as surprised as anybody else. It had been my intention to tell everyone in the morning, but after seeing that I actually stood a chance, I—I couldn’t bring myself to confess. Once again, I hope you’ll forgive me. I was foolish. This was the first trial, I didn’t know what was going to happen, all I knew was the possibility of facing punishment and I… I was scared.”

“If you want proof,” continued Sakura, “here it is.” She reached into her coat pocket, pulling out the key to the incinerator room. “The trophy is hidden in my room, it was too large to burn. I realize it is not much in proving Hina’s innocence, but I’m just asking you guys… to believe in me.”

“Why are you doing this?” asked Hina. Her jaw was set in anger, but I could see she was still crying.

“I am done being a coward,” said Sakura, and the tired look on her face made her seem so much older. Still, she stood herself up straight to her tallest very tall height, as though mustering up the last of her dignity. “I’ve done a lot of wrong, Hina. Let me try to make it right. I will face my punishment like an honest woman.” She turned to Monokuma. “It is time.”

“Yessirree!” said Monokuma with a sick laugh. “Alright everyone! You all have a lever in front of you, so it’s time to cast your votes. Did you successfully catch the culprit?”

We all cast our votes, myself included, and once everyone had submitted the answer the results were sprawled across a jumbo screen:

“SAKURA OGAMI IS FOUND: GUILTY”.

Monokuma laughed again. “Looks like you guys were right after all! The culprit, the one who killed Hifumi Yamada, was none other than Sakura Ogami! Was it that rough and tough gang leader mentality that lead to her demise? Guess we’ll never know.” He seemed to take a moment to study the results of the verdict. “Hmm… Fascinating. Anyone game for a little fun fact?”

“Fuck you!” bellowed Mondo. “We’re done hearing anything from you!”

“That’s right!” said Junko. “We’re sick of your games.”

He wagged a single paw. “Ah-ah-ah. If only that were the case, but we’re only just getting started! Anyway, as I was about to say, interesting bit of trivia, but the vote was _not_ unanimous! While the majority did indeed vote for Sakura, little Aoi Asahina here is the only one who voted for herself! Careful missy, too many mistakes and you just might strike out.” He laughed at his own joke.

“It’d be a more pleasant punishment than having to listen to you,” said Hina. In a much quieter voice, she added, “We don’t deserve to live.”

He fanned himself. “Puhuhuhu! That was so exciting! The scandal, the intrigue, the betrayal! I swear, my heart is still racing, I wasn’t sure if you guys were going to pull through!”

Makoto ignored him. “Sakura?” he asked, as though he still couldn’t believe it. Even after her confession, even after the results of the vote, he was still clinging onto some foolish false hope. “So it really was you?”

Her silence said more than any words of affirmation or denial.

“Disgusting really, that you would destroy yourselves over those mere _relationships_ ," said Monokuma. “How deep is your _despair_?” He seemed to relish the word.

“You’re disgusting,” said Hina, and I could hear the unmitigated rage and contempt as she glared at Monokuma.

“Well, enough of the preamble, time to get this show on the road! Time for the culprit’s punishment! That’s what everyone is waiting for, after all.”

“Stop it! You—you can’t do this!” said Hina, pushed to the edge of hysterics. Her voice continuing to echo through the chamber made the sound unbearable “Stop! It’s not her fault! She was just—”

“Now then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader!”

Sakura ignored him. Instead, she once again turned just to address Hina. “Hina,” she said, “even though it has been only been a short while, it has been a pleasure getting to know you. You seem like a wonderful girl. I am honored to be your friend.” She addressed Monokuma. “I am ready for my punishment.” Her smile was resolute.

But even in the strongest of us, I saw the flicker of fear in her eyes.

My stomach churned as Monokuma said the words:

_“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s punishment time!”_

—

We weren’t sure what was going to happen, but the lights seemed to dim, and the temperature in the room dropped. Everyone eyed each other uneasily. Sakura remained resolute, but despite her stillness I could see her watching Monokuma out of the corner of her eye. And then…

Chains shot out from _somewhere_ behind her, snaking around her neck, her torso, her arms, yanking her backward into another room we didn’t even know existed a moment prior. Sakura struggled against the chains, but to no avail. Her stoic exterior was shaken, replaced by a moment of wide-eyed open-mouthed shock. The scenery changed; we watched as Sakura was strapped to the seat of a huge motorcycle, the loud clanging of the chains echoing throughout the dark room, mixed with the clinking of a metal fence barrier as it rose from the ground, separating us from the victim.

For a moment, silence. Then, a row of beaming lights flickered on to reveal Sakura was on a motorcycle within what was really a long row of motorcycles, each boarded by a test dummy with Monokuma’s head. Although I was straining to see, I realized the beaming lights were actually headlights; each pair belonged to a row of cars parallel to the motorbikes.

Monokuma’s smile was ever present, and he pressed a large red button.

The crashes on each end began first. There was a loud blaring buzzer with each one, and the motorcycles and cars would race towards each other at impossible speeds, a booming crash as debris fell everywhere and the remains of the crash went up in in flames. Each motorcycle was decimated. The room was a mess of shattered glass and chunks of metal, the dummies completely lost in the twisted hunks of metal that were once cars and bikes. Smoke rose from the debris.

I could feel my heart pounding with each crash as the row got smaller and smaller, dwindling in numbers as we began to approach to the middle. Sakura remained as stoic as ever, but I could only imagine how she was feeling. The noise was deafening, my only thoughts were incredulity at how none of us were deaf yet, or injured by the flying debris. There was the scent of smoke and of gas in the air. The flames made the room impossibly hot, flickering and illuminating the scene making everything appear just that much more catastrophic.

There were only two motorbikes left. A detail I had missed before, but beside Sakura I realized the dummy on the bike was not a Monokuma doll, but instead the silhouette of a tall man. According to the lineup, he was supposed to be next. There was still the sound of the fires crackling, but in the relative silence, we could hear the sound of an engine rev. Then Monokuma pressed the button again. The silhouetted man raced ahead, crashing just like the others, and perhaps it was my imagination, but I could’ve sworn I caught Sakura wince.

This time, her motorcycle was the one to rev up. Time seemed to simultaneously slow down and speed up. Everything seemed to happen all at once. Tires screeched, and Sakura closed her eyes, seeming to brace herself as the bike raced onward but instead of facing the one of the cars from the identical line like we were expecting, a giant semi-truck emerged from the shadows, large headlights beaming, tired of a braked car screeching, and horn blaring louder than anything I’d ever heard, despite the fact that the driver seat appeared to be empty.

I squeezed my eyes shut at the last moment, unable to bear the look on Sakura’s face, but that didn’t stop me from hearing the sound of the vehicles colliding. Opening my eyes, I could see the flames of the wreckage, and I stared in transfixed horror. A hubcap rolled off, teetering to a stop at Monokuma’s feet, and his set grin and sinister glint in his eye was truly wicked enough to send me into despair.

Until that moment I had completely forgotten about my classmates, too mesmerized by the freakshow to look way. However, when I came to, I saw that everyone looked just as shaken as I felt. We didn’t so much return to the courtroom, rather the world around us seemed a blur, and it seemed more like the courtroom was returning to us.

...

The remaining fourteen of us stood in horrified silence for what felt like an eternity. Monokuma, who had returned to his seat in the circle and seemingly impatient, was the first to break it.

“Don’t you all just feel so blessed? You get to witness your very first execution! Lucky you! Without Sakura’s confession, you guys all probably would’ve bitten dust.”

Hina had fallen to her knees, head in her hands as her body was wracked with sobs.

“What a disappointment,” I was surprised to hear Byakuya speak. He looked perhaps more shaken than usual, but all the same I was even more surprised to not only see him relatively unruffled by the disturbing events that had just played out, but still unrelenting in his condescension. “I had hoped our brief mix-up would at least make our game a little more interesting, but it really only made things more tedious in the long run.”

“What the hell are you on about?” asked Leon. His voice was higher than usual, face as white as a sheet.

“Yeah!” burst out Mondo, still visibly shaken. “That chick just died, can you fucking drop the bullshit for one goddamn second?”

“Need I remind you, Byakuya,” said Celeste, still far more calm and collected than the majority despite the slight quaver in her voice, “that you were the one who pointed out the supposed ‘dying message’ in the first place? You were just as fooled as the rest of us.”

“Do not associate me with the likes of you,” said Byakuya. “I solved this case light years before any of you morons had even come close.”

“Excuse me?” said Celeste, her cool composure dropping. For a moment, I could’ve sworn I heard her accent slip. She recuperated. “I mean, I beg your pardon?”

“I said the evidence pointed to Hina, I never once said I believed her to be the culprit.”

“What difference does it make?” asked Junko.

I spoke. My voice seemed hoarse from overuse, and possibly weak, but I was firm. “But you were wrong.”

“And where exactly did I make my err?” Byakuya folded his arms, giving me the same patronizing look as always.

“The part about the evidence being fabricated to implicate Hina, that was right. But you made one mistake,” I said, and even though I knew I had him, there was no joy in the statement. Not even a sense of satisfaction. “You thought Hina was being framed.”

“Oh! Let me guess,” said Junko, and her voice was dripping with the usual sarcasm as she looked at Byakuya, but this time, it held much more malice and disgust than I was used to, “Is it because you couldn’t possibly understand the concept of someone intentionally trying to protect another? Does it not compute? Maybe if we caught a glimpse of what was between his ribs, we’d find a circuit board instead of a heart.”

He grit his teeth, fist clenched and for a moment, and for just a moment his usual haughty demeanor seemed to crack. Instead of responding to me or to Junko, he turned on Hina. “ _You_. Why would you go through all the trouble of hiding the truth from the rest of us? Just to save a delinquent like her?”

Hina stopped crying, standing to her feet, but Byakuya seemed unruffled by her icy stare. All of a sudden, she seemed to wilt. “Because… I owed her. She saved my life.”

“But Hina,” said Sayaka. “Throwing away your own life and everyone else’s to save hers? What sense does that make?”

“Indeed,” said Celes, “You must have felt you owed her a life-debt. But I must admit, I do not see the point in repaying the favor for saving your life, if saving Sakura meant you would soon be dead after. It seems to make her sacrifice rather pointless, no?”

“I don’t care!” said Hina.

Taka seemed to recoil. “You—you would forfeit the lives of everyone in this room for one person?” His eyes were wide, his face pale, mouth agape in shock.

Monokuma cackled, baring a paw of sharpened claws. “How do you guys feel, knowing that Hina would so willingly trade in your lives for Sakura’s? Does it make you _despair_?”

“H-hina?” asked Chihiro, once again close to tears. “How could you?”

“W-what the h-hell is wrong with you?” screeched Toko.

“Puhuhuhu! Now that you know her true colors, whatever will you do with her now? The mystery continues...”

The despair seemed to drown out any remaining feelings of hope, but a voice rang clear throughout the room, cutting through the tense atmosphere like a knife.

_“No!”_

I turned to see Makoto staring angrily at Monokuma, his stance defiant.

“What’s this?” asked Monokuma.

“We will not turn against each other! You are the one to blame here! Hifumi, Sakura, Hina, they all did this because of your tricks! Well, we won’t fall for your manipulations anymore. This pain is all your fault. You, and the mastermind alone. We won’t fall into despair!”

Makoto’s ever present sense of hope in all of the misery had an infectious effect. I felt emboldened by his bravery to stand up to our captor. “Makoto is right! I swear, the rest of us are going to make it out of this place alive.”

“Out?” asked Monokuma. “Why on earth would you want out?”

“Are you serious?” asked an incredulous Junko. “After what just happened, who could possibly want to stay?”

Monokuma giggled. “Oh, you will see. You're smart. Well..." He reconsidered. "We have a handful of smart cookies in the bunch. If you guys figure out the mysteries of the school, I’m sure you’ll be converted in no time! Soon. Soon you will understand why you can never leave. In fact, I am confident you will be thankful for gracious ol’ me taking you under my wing.”

“We will never be thankful!” said Makoto. “You are the reason for all this misfortune!”

“Indeed!” yelled Taka. “This only proves that we must work together even harder to eliminate you! That is the only way we will succeed!”

I noticed several of the others looking around in confusion, but after a second they began to nod and murmur in agreement. Of course, Monokuma immediately took to squashing our hopes like how one might squash a pesky insect.

“You act like I’m the one singlehandedly taking you guys out one by one,” said Monokuma, shaking his head in disappointment. “Nope, nope, nope! I _never_ forced Hifumi or Sakura to act. It’s just not my style! I’m merely bringing light to the true nature of humanity.”

“You’re the one who put us in this situation in the first place!” said Makoto.

“Agh, details, details,” said Monokuma, waving him off flippantly. “Look, I’m trying to help, ok? The sooner you stop resisting, the easier things will be. Once you unlock the mysteries of the school, you’ll understand.”

“Like hell we’ll stop resisting!” said Junko. “What is wrong with you?”

“Mysteries?” I asked, admittedly distracted. “What mysteries?”

“While we’re on the subject of mysteries,” said Kyoko. “Earlier, when you said ‘That’s what everyone is waiting for, after all’, what did you mean my that? When you say ‘everyone’... who exactly were you referring to?”

“Oops!” Monokuma snickered behind his hands. “Spoilers! Have I revealed too much?”

“Just shut up!” screamed Hina. “Shut up! No one wants to hear anything you have to say!”

“Oh, is Hina feeling the despair? Why so angry at me? After all, you were the one closest to her.” Monokuma mock gasped, a taunt that hid no true shock behind it. “And to hear Sakura admit that she would place her own relationships above the _special_ _bond_ you two had? To choose the loyalty of a boyfriend and some common criminals over you? Aren’t you just in agony?” He was gushing with delight, dripping with disgusting sweat and positively beaming. “The deeper the bond, the stronger the despair, that’s what I always say!”

“What nonsense are you spewing?” said Junko. “‘Special bonds?’”

“Well, for instance.” He gestured between myself and my sister. “Take you and your beloved sister, Mukuro, reunited at last! Nothing is more tragic than long lost family. If something were to, say… happen to one of you,” he said—and he seemed to look directly at Junko as he said it—“how deep would your despair go?” There was a wicked glint in Monokuma’s red eye.

“Shut up!” I screamed. My vision went red; I didn’t remember the last time I’d raised my voice like that. I didn’t know what I was aiming for, but I wasn’t thinking. I just _knew_ that I would never let anyone threaten Junko.

Suddenly in a frenzy, I lunged at Monokuma. But—

“That’s enough.”

As angry as I was, Kyoko latched onto my arm without hesitation. Her grip was like iron, strong enough I was sure it would leave a bruise. Her voice was a low murmur. “Now is not the time. We must learn to pick our battles.”

Despite my anger, I stopped resisting, realizing that she had a point. My arms fell weakly to my side, in my moment of rage I hadn’t even been aware that they’d been balled into fists.

“Fine,” I grumbled.

She didn’t let go of my arm.

“Whoop! Look’s like a struck a nerve,” said Monokuma, and he was feigning his usual cheerful mood as he wagged what I imagine would’ve been a finger at me if he had fingers but instead was his entire paw. “Careful Mukuro, you almost violated a school rule. You know troublemakers have to be punished.” Once again he bared his claws. If a toy bear’s smile could seem forced, then it was definitely forced. “Guess I’d better go. Wouldn’t want to risk a little oopsy-daisy to happen again, would we? Besides, I gotta keep my image of mystery and intrigue somehow!”

He slunk back behind the chair on which he had been previously standing. We didn’t bother to stop him. We’d had enough. Slowly, one by one, the rest of us filtered out of the courtroom. Besides the clattering of footsteps, only remain noise was Hina, who had once again fallen to her knees and continued to quietly sob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I'd like to think Sakura would never kill anyone, I'm going to go by different universe, different rules. I think we as a fandom collectively kind of forget Sakura's fiercer, more competitive side because in the game she's generally such a gentle lamb. But remember, she defeated her dad at 14, and her ultimate competition is her boyfriend! We just forget. The girl shows a lot of restraint. However, I feel like the darker aspects of her character would've been drawn out more if she was a biker delinquent. I'm sad she had to go first, she's honestly one of my favorite characters, but I hope I did her justice. (Oh the struggle of finding right balance of "said" and varying dialogue tags.)
> 
> Please don't forget to comment! I hate asking, but I appreciate feedback. Also knowing which swaps you like helps me get a better feel of which characters to invest time in! Also, considering this is the first trial and execution, let me know your thoughts!


	7. Chapter 2.1: Arriving Fashionably Late with Starbucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the students to explore the new floor!
> 
> Number of Students: 14/16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient! Anyway, here's the update. It's a bit long.

After the trial, we collectively returned to the dining hall in silence.

Makoto was the last to arrive. He had gone to check on Hifumi’s room.

“Well?” asked Junko once he returned.

We watched him warily.

“It’s… all gone,” said Makoto. “Everything. The room is spotless.”

“How unfortunate,” said Celeste with a heavy sigh. “But I suppose it is for the best. It would be better than leaving that mess to fester and rot.”

“Mess?” asked Junko. “How can you even say something like that? You—you’re—”

“Coping with the death of a classmate in the best way I can without being given the proper time to grieve?” asked Celeste, her open-mouth surprise seeming more mocking than genuine as she looked at Junko. “Adaptability is how you survive. This is how I chose to adapt. Hifumi was a tragic loss, yes, but he refused to adapt, and so met his demise. Sakura was wandering out at night despite our agreement, and was punished accordingly.” She said it so calmly. “This is what happens to those who refuse to adjust to life.” She glanced over at Hina—who had been sitting silently at one of the dining hall tables this whole time—but said nothing.

“Say whatever you like,” said Junko. “It doesn’t excuse the fact that you’re acting like a total piece of shit right now!”

“I see no point in tip-toeing around,” said Byakuya. “Those who cannot compete in the game will simply fall behind. That is the way it is.”

“But you can’t just say shit like that, you freak!” said Leon, glaring at Byakuya.

“Yeah,” said Junko. “It’s seriously fucked up! I don’t even know how you can even think any of this is okay!” Even Junko, as crass and vicious as she could be at times, knew Byakuya and Celeste has crossed some unspoken line. There was a time and place for everything, but I was pretty sure trash talking the dead could be filed under the “inappropriate” category.

Celeste was unfazed. “I see,” she mused.

“See?” asked Junko. “See what?”

Celeste did not answer her question. “You will die.”

“ _What_?” said Junko, as if daring her to continue.

“If you keep on like this,” said Celeste, red eyes staring intensely into Junko’s, “you will only continue to expose your weakness. You will certainly not survive. Do you understand?” Her patronizing tone was more than I could bear.

I grit my teeth, positively seething. “Well, I think making ominous threats directed at my sister will certainly not help _your_ chances of surviving. Do _you_ understand?” I didn’t care if it sounded bad. I didn’t care if in reality, I had no plans on killing anybody. Nobody was going to hurt Junko. Nobody.

“Mukuro!” cried Taka with a gasp. “You wouldn’t—”

“Try me.” My hands were clenched into tight fists.

Despite my anger, I couldn’t help but notice that Makoto, who usually was the one to intervene in times like these, was suspiciously silent.

I had no intention of attacking anyone, but as I lurched forward with no real plan in mind, Taka stepped in between me and Celeste, a couple of the other guys ready on the offense in case I tried anything, and once again I felt Kyoko’s deliberate gloved hand get a firm grip on my forearm.

“Enough! Two of our friends are dead,” said Hina, her voice surprisingly forceful despite the hoarse cracking. “We shouldn’t be fighting.”

All eyes turned to Hina. I had been forgotten for the moment by everyone—including Kyoko whose hand was still on my arm.

“Ah, so the s-snake s-s-s-speaks!” said Toko.

“Indeed,” said Byakuya, “and we are not friends. Surely you must realize that by now. After all, Hifumi did try to kill you. Even after all this are you still deluding yourself to think that we can hold hands and get along?”

“Oh, cut it out already!” snapped Junko, and I tell by her tone that she was done with everyone. She didn’t address the others, just Byakuya. “I think we’ve all done our very best to deal with your bullshit up to this point, Byakuya, but I think considering what we’ve had to go through we can draw the line. Here. Now.” She turned to Toko and Celeste. “And the last thing we need are more fucking comments from the peanut gallery. Hina is right. Two of our friends are dead, so if everyone could keep the snide remarks to a minimum just at the very least until tomorrow, and I’ve had at least a halfway decent night’s sleep that’d be a-ma-zing!” Her voice rose until it was shrill.

For a moment, no one spoke.

“Wow, Junko,” said Hiro, breaking the silence and mirroring the majority’s attitude of somehow being scared, surprised, and impressed all at once. “That was—”

“Ugh.” Junko huffed. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Very well,” said Byakuya. “I am through wasting my time. I see no point in continuing to humor my competitors when it leaves me nothing to gain.” He turned to leave. “Oh,” he added, “and don’t expect me to attending any more of frivolous joint breakfasts while _she_ is still here,” he said, pointing to Hina. “Goodbye.”

I looked to Hina, as did some of the others.

“Hina, don’t—don’t listen to him,” said Sayaka, reaching out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but I didn’t miss the moment of hesitation. Even good-natured Sayaka was still wary around her. “You’re still welcome to join us. Right, guys?”

Silence.

Hiro sighed. “Uh, look,” he began. “Not that I don’t trust you, Hina, but…”

“Buuuut you don’t trust her,” said Junko flatly. “Is that it?” She rolled her eyes.

“Look! My gut is telling me to throw caution to the winds, all I know is that I’m not big on taking my chances.”

“What?” cried Junko. “What in fresh hell are you talking about? You’re a gambler!”

“That’s completely different!” said Hiro indignantly.

I certainly didn’t see how it was much different, and Junko didn’t look convinced either, but someone else spoke.

“She did attempt to forfeit everyone’s lives in order to save Sakura,” said Celeste. “Personally, that is not something I would take lightly.”

“Y-yeah!” said Toko. “Hina already tried t-to kill us once! Who kn-knows when she’ll try again!”

“How can you guys be so cruel?” asked Sayaka. “Can’t you see she’s taking all this hard enough as it is?”

“I dunno,” said Leon, “Sorry, Hina,” he added, but he seemed to be addressing Sayaka more than anything else. “I’m just sayin’! Maybe Glasses isn’t completely crazy.”

“Leon!” scolded Sayaka.

He ignored her. “Besides, did everyone miss how Mukuro just flipped out just now?” said Leon. He was smiling, trying to stay calm, but I didn’t miss how the corner of his eye and lip would twitch. “Any one of you could be up to something already!”

“Yeah, sorry,” said Hiro, “But I’m gonna fold for this round.” He held his hands up in resignation.

“Look, I’m cool with whatever the group decides to do about—” said Mondo, and instead of saying exactly who or what, he just nodded in Hina’s general direction, “but all I know is I’m not letting some chick scare me. I mean, c’mon, what’s she weigh, a buck? A buck-twenty?”

“Who said anything about scared?” said Leon, his voice cracking slightly despite his supposed toughness. He seemed uncomfortable with having caught Mondo’s attention. “I was just—”

Chihiro buried her face in her hands, and I could hear muffled sniffling noises.

“Oh dear,” said Sayaka, ignoring the fight between the boys. “Chihiro, what’s wrong?” She went over to her, reaching out a comforting hand.

Chihiro sniffed, looking up and shaking her head. “Sayaka and Junko are right!” said Chihiro, voice much louder and clearer than usual. “We shouldn’t be fighting! We—we’ve already lost so much.” She was right back to the tears.

“Listen to Chihiro!” said Taka. “Fighting amongst ourselves is exactly what the mastermind wants!”

“I-I just don’t think I could take it if anyone else were to… were to….” stuttered Chihiro, as if she were afraid of her own words.

“Guys, forget it,” said Hina. “If you don’t want me around, I can take a hint. Ok?” She stood up, but before leaving she turned to Makoto. “Hey, Makoto.”

“Huh?” He looked up at her, eyes dazed as though his mind was somewhere else. Hina’s inquiry finally brought him back to reality.

“Sorry, Makoto. I know you were kinda big on the whole group breakfast thing, but if my being there is gonna have people at each other’s throats, I’d rather just… take one for the team, you know?” She laughed weakly, scratching the back of her head, but I could tell it was forced.

For just a moment, she turned back to look at us before heading out.

“In that case,” said Celeste. “I am turning in as well.” She spoke through a stifled yawn. “I shall see you all in the morning, granted Hina keeps to her word, of course.” She smiled and departed.

“It’s probably best if we all head back, to be honest,” said Sayaka, frowning. “I think we could all do with some sleep.”

“I-If you say so,” said Chihiro.

“Absolutely,” said Taka, but his conviction didn’t sound nearly as strong as usual. “We—we must do our best to maximize time for sleep. Recovery is of utmost importance.”

The others said their goodbyes and headed off to bed, where only a handful of us remained.

I was still watching Makoto. He looked completely broken.

“Hey, Makoto?” asked Sayaka. “Are you alright?”

“What? Oh, yes, I am… no,” he admitted, hanging his head. “So many of our friends, gone. I assigned Hifumi janitor duty. If only I had been more attentive! It’s my—”

“Stop it.”

I heard Kyoko’s commanding voice beside me at once. I hadn’t even realized when she had let go of me, but I was once again able to move my arm.

“Huh?” Makoto looked up at her. “Kyoko? What are you—”

“You seemed about to blame yourself is all. It’s a heavy burden to bear the responsibility of others,” said Kyoko. “You said it yourself, did you not? Only the mastermind is the blame for our situation.”

He still didn't look completely convinced, but he said, “I-I guess you’re right.”

“That’s right, Makoto!” said Sayaka. “You can’t worry your head off too much. Things won’t be this way forever.” She gave him her best smile, back to her beautiful and poised self. It seemed at odds with the gloomy atmosphere.

“And I know you can be strong,” I said. “You’re the kind of person who can overcome the deaths of your classmates.”

I was speaking from experience at least a little bit. Sometimes, the only way to overcome tragedy is to just move on. It was the way of life. If I allowed myself to get emotional with every tragic case I solved, I would never discover the truth. And for a detective, the truth is what truly mattered.

He shook his head.

“Huh?” I was perplexed.

“I—I can’t do that!” said Makoto. I was surprised by his intensity. “Mukuro, I can’t forget about my friends! I can’t turn away from their deaths. I’m going to keep them with me. “

I was surprised. “I see,” I mused. “Very well, you’ve chosen the harder path. I, um… I didn’t expect…” I shook my head. “Well, nevermind.” I didn’t understand him. Still, I was impressed. The boy showed strength. It was the sort of strength I had given up on with my profession.

Perhaps Makoto was stronger than myself.

Junko interrupted my reverie. “‘Kuro, I think we’d better go.”

“Huh?” I was brought back to reality. “Oh yes, you’re right.” I nodded a small bow of goodbye to my remaining classmates. “It is getting late. Junko and I will be turning in.”

“Breakfast, tomorrow!” said Sayaka. “We’ll be expecting you.”

I managed a small smile. “Of course.”

“Alright, sis,” said Junko, tugging me along, and there was a surprising note of urgency.

The dorms to Junko’s room and my room were just beside each other. Junko halted to a stop just outside her door.

“What are you doing?” asked Junko, her posture one of confrontation, hands on her hips.

“What?” I blinked, taken aback.

“Why did you flip out like that?” she demanded. “Earlier, when Celeste said all that creepy shit.”

“I—I wasn’t going to let anyone say that to you!” I was baffled that I even needed to explain this to her. Just the thought of it still made me furious.

“Miss Queen of the Undead says weird shit all the time! You know what you do about it? You nod along because she’s weird as hell and you move on! You can’t do stuff like that!”

“I was trying to protect you! I’m your big sister, that’s my job.”

“You can’t freak out on people! Even Leon thought it was suspect, and we all know the only thing in his head are piles of sawdust and stray cobwebs. Besides, even if you’re cool, they don’t know that. The others will freak and. You can’t." Her voice broke. "You—you just can’t. If they’re scared of you, someone might—might do something stupid, or…" Her voice was hushed to whisper, eyes welling up with tears. "Mukuro, if you hurt anyone because of me, they’ll have to… and I... I already lost you once.”

I was shocked. She’d never said anything like that to me before. “Junko, I—I’m sorry.”

She hugged me tight, just like she had yesterday, and it wasn’t any less surprising this time. I wondered if it was something I would ever get used to. I cautiously reciprocated, hugging her in return more tentatively as I tried to ignore her crushing arms.

“The thought of something happening to you…” she whispered, sentence trailing off as if she were horrified by the mere thought.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I didn’t know you were worried.”

“Of course I’m worried,” said Junko. “How can you even say that?”

“You shouldn’t have to worry. I’m the older one, that should be my job.”

“Only by a few minutes.” She let go of me, managing a small smile.

I smiled back. “You should go to bed.”

“You’re probably right. ‘Night, ‘Kuro.”

“Goodnight, sis.”

She gave my hand a last squeeze, and then we returned to our rooms.

I was exhausted, but despite this I was restless. I didn’t know long I sat awake in bed, but I knew for sure I wasn’t getting a good night’s sleep.

—

I woke up exhausted, as predicted. I ignored my zombie-ish state as I washed my face. The water did little to help me wake. The purple shadows under my eyes were as pronounced as ever, perhaps even more so than usual. I could do little about them. I didn’t know why I was so preoccupied with my appearance. Perhaps it was the effect of being surrounded by beautiful models and pop idols and athletes. I pushed it from my mind. I had more concerning problems.

I knew better than to hope yesterday had been a dream, but even so, the naive part of me still wished. I had not been particularly close with Sakura or Hifumi, but they were my classmates nonetheless. More than just classmates, they might’ve even been my friends. I’d never had many friends.

Monokuma had made an announcement to gather in the gym that morning, so instead of heading to the dining hall as per usual, I headed over to the gym. I didn’t see Makoto until I arrived, but I presumed we’d have our collective breakfast after the announcement.

Monokuma was… exercising.

We watched him, every single one of us had the same questioning look on our faces.

“One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!” Monokuma stood on his podium, rotating his arms in large circles. “Is that everyone?”

We didn’t respond. However, I realized there were only… thirteen of us? The gym seemed unusually sparse.

From the back of the gym, I spotted the last figure creep their way inside. Hina stayed in the very back, trying not to draw much attention to herself.

However, Monokuma spotted her. “And she finally arrives!” said Monokuma. “Guess that makes everyone. Hina, you’re one of those fitness nuts, aren’t you? Won’t you join your lovely headmaster in a warm-up?”

She said nothing, looking just about ready to bolt as the eyes of the other classmates turned to her. She seemed… wilted. All the exuberant energy we were used to had been drained, replaced by a stranger with a sad, vacant expression.

“You look rough,” said Leon.

She grimaced. “Gee, thanks.”

It was true. She looked about as bad as I felt. Still, it wasn't the sort of thing one voiced aloud.

She turned to Monokuma. “Let’s get this over with. What did you call us in for?”

“Yes,” said Kyoko to Monokuma. “I highly doubt you called us here just to exercise.”

“Patience is a virtue, is what I say,” said Monokuma, not even breaking pace as he continued to exercise. He wheezed out a laugh, finally coming to a stop. “Kidding, Kidding, nah, just...” pant, “allow...” pant, “me...” pant, “to catch…” pant, “my breath!”

“You are a toy,” said Byakuya. “Get on with it.”

Monokuma hung his head in feigned sadness. “A bear can’t catch a break around here… Very well, if you are so eager to see the brave new world I have prepared for you, I will tell you the news!”

“Huh?” asked Toko. “B-brave new world?”

“Yes!” said Monokuma. “Every time a trial comes to an end, it’s only the beginning! A new world opens up to you! Granted you’re all still alive to see it, of course.” He grinned devilishly. “Now, go explore!” he insisted. “Go! Consider it a gift from yours truly. Puhuhuhuhu!” He disappeared behind the podium.

We looked around at each other.

“What do you think he meant by a ‘new world’?” asked Sayaka in a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

“Do you think…. a way out, perhaps?” asked Chihiro.

“I highly doubt it,” said Celeste. She sighed. “The Mastermind would never make escape so easy. However,” she smiled, mood flipping on a dime in an instant, “perhaps there is more to the school than we anticipated. Who knows? We may even find something that improves our way of life.”

Chihiro bowed her head. “I suppose it was wishful thinking.” The very brief moment of hope in her eyes was gone.

“It c-could be a trap,” suggested Toko.

“I don’t see why,” said Kyoko. “I doubt the Mastermind would want to harm us himself. That would ruin the game for him. Best if we scope out the landscape at the very least. We should understand the terrain.”

“Makoto?” I asked, turning to look at him, waiting for his judgement.

"You're asking for my call?" asked Makoto.

I gave him a questioning look. "Don't we always?"

I'd come to trust his judgement. The others had as well.

"R-Right." He frowned, thinking it over for a moment. “We’ll… explore the school. Uh... You know what? How did it function last time?” He grinned sheepishly. “I was unconscious when that happened, of course, but I think it was the right idea.”

“Actually, we sort of just split up into groups and went from there!” said Sayaka. “There was no process of decision. We all just grouped up on our own.”

“Oh, um… perfect,” said Makoto. “Thank you, Sayaka.”

“No problem!” Her smile was encouraging.

He stuttered something unintelligible, blushing all the while. “Sounds good to me. Is everyone good with that?” He checked the clock. “It’s nearly 7:30 a.m. How does everyone feel about gathering in the dining hall in an hour?”

“Perfect!” said Junko. She grabbed me by the hand. “Come on, ‘Kuro, let’s go.”

“Wait,” I said, glancing back at the others then back at her, “Are you sure—”

But before I’d even had a chance to finish my sentence she’d dragged me out of the room.

“Junko, where are we going?” I asked as we whizzed past the trophy room and into the main hall.

“This way,” said Junko impatiently. We came to a stop at the foot of the stairs just outside the gym. They were no longer blocked by the grate. “Ta-da!” said Junko.

“Curious,” I pondered. I was messing with her, just a little. Stalling. However, I did find it strange that the grate was gone.

She tugged on my arm, trying to lead me up the stairs. “Come on,” she whined.

“You’re surprisingly enthusiastic about this,” I said, suppressing a smile.

“Hey!” said Junko. “Look, I know I usually give off the dissatisfied celebrity mega-bitch vibe, but I'm turning a new leaf. New me is only good vibes from here on out!"

"Is that so?" 

"Also, I like winning," she added. "So I’d very much like to beat everyone else at finding any cool new shit on the second floor. So come on, let’s go!”

I chuckled. “Alright, alright.”

I followed her up the stairs and onto the second floor.

I was too busy looking around to notice the other students soon following us up the stairs, despite the sound of footsteps registering in the back of my mind. The ceilings were high, the lighting blue and green. As far as excitement was concerned, it wasn’t much different from the first floor.

The pair of us first checked one of the empty classrooms. It looked indistinguishable from the classrooms found on the first floor, so that was a bust. Same as before, all the windows were bolted shut. Cameras and monitors everywhere.

“Maybe we could get Mondo to try the bolts on these windows,” I mused. “Since, uh…” I thought about Sakura, and for a moment I allowed myself to feel the sadness before I pushed the thought from my mind. Now was not the time for tears. I had made the choice to move forward.

“You can ask him if you want,” said Junko. She either hadn’t noticed my pause or had chosen to ignore it. “I’m good. Guy’s a bit too much of a wild card for me.”

I mock gasped. “Junko Enoshima, afraid?”

“Hell no!” She shook her head indignantly. “Not afraid,” she bargained. “Just… practical.”

“I didn’t take you for a realist.”

“I just don’t want him to punch me! Come on, you saw what happened to Makoto, he was out like a light! Even I’m not that risky, I don’t have a deathwish.”

As she said this, she payed little attention to me. Rather, she’d grabbed a piece of chalk and was doodling on the chalkboard. There was a strange drawing of Monokuma posing like a model in a seashell bra.

Gross.

She quickly erased it, probably thinking the same thing as me. Instead, she replaced it with a drawing of a bunny.

“Yeah," I said, continuing out conversation despite her preoccupation. "He knocked out Makoto, and then you laughed about it.”

“I’m… going through a character arc?” She glanced back at me. Even she didn’t seem to buy her excuse.

I rolled my eyes. “Alright, alright. I’ll ask. Later maybe. I’m not particularly keen on finding him.”

Checking the clock, the time read 7:40. We still had plenty of time left.

Once we had stepped outside the classroom, I turned to Junko. “So where to, sis?”

She pointed to the double doors labeled “POOL”. “There.”

“Gotcha.”

Inside, there were already several other people looking around the room.

“Aw, looks like the others have caught up with my head start,” said Junko.

Celeste nodded a hello to us as we walked into the room, I returned with a small wave of acknowledgement. Junko shot her a cheesy grin. Mondo grumbled something along the lines of hello.

“Well, speak of the devil,” muttered Junko.

I sighed, ignoring her comment. “The classrooms on this floor are all still barred off by those bulky metal plates—” I said, addressing the entire room.

“Yeah, so I’m pretty sure a way out is a no-go,” said Junko.

“Fucking hell,” said Mondo, more to himself than to either of us. Then to us, “Guess I could take a crack at it. No harm in trying, right?”

Behind Mondo’s back, I could physically see Junko’s literal sigh of relief. Guess she didn’t have to ask after all. Crisis averted.

Despite the promise of “POOL” in big bold capital letters, the doors were, of course, not the entrance to the pool. Rather it looked to be a weight room. It was mostly empty: kickboards of different colors all lined up in a row, giant rolls of pool rope, camera and monitor as usual, a ring buoy hung up on the wall. To my surprise, Chihiro was too distracted with examining the exercise equipment to notice us come into the room.

I stood beside her. “Hello, Chihiro.”

“Oh!” She jumped back in fright.

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

“Just a bit.” She looked pleased to see me, but her smile was half-hearted.

“I see you’re eyeing the exercise equipment. I didn’t take you for a fitness nut.”

“I’ve… been hoping to start.” She seemed hesitant to answer.

“Maybe Hina would be willing to help you out,” I offered. Lowering my voice to a murmur, I added, “I think she could use the company right now.”

“I-I’ll think about it.”

Interesting. Yesterday, Chihiro hadn’t seemed particularly angry with Hina.

Perhaps it was something else.

“There’s way more stuff in the locker rooms,” said Mondo, who I hadn’t even realized had been listening to our conversation. “It’s not all that, but it’s better than nothing.”

“It’s alright,” said Chihiro, voice even smaller than usual. “I—I have a thing about locker rooms, see…”

So my hunch was correct. The problem wasn’t Hina. I wanted to let it be, but Mondo was a bit slow to catch on.

“Huh?” said Mondo. “Don’t tell me. You scared o' locker rooms or somethin’?”

Chihiro was looking about as panicked as a deer in the headlights when Celeste seemed to catch wind and cut into the conversation. “This is all very splendid, don’t you agree? And from what the other students have mentioned, I hear there is a library on this floor as well! What great additions to improve our school life.” She smiled.

“A library!” Chihiro’s face lit up. “Is it true?”

“Indeed,” said Celeste. “I must say, things feel much more comfortable. It might even be almost worth the occasional class trial.” She giggled behind her hand.

Mondo and Chihiro were sufficiently distracted. Celeste and I made eye contact as their backs were turned. I nodded in thanks, and she returned the nod ever so slightly in acknowledgement.

Junko moved to stand next to me. “I knew he wouldn’t get it. The walking beefcake doesn’t seem to be the kind to be self-conscious,” she said to me only. Under her breath of course. She didn’t want to antagonize him.

I shrugged. “You never know.”

She put an elbow on my shoulder, leaning on me casually. “Please, dude is fearless. Just saying, he seems more like the the _reason_ more Makoto-sized, less refrigerator-built people might feel scared to go into a locker room.”

“So he’s a little jock-y,” I said in that same low murmur. “Like you don’t make people feel bad about themselves on a daily basis, Miss Pop Idol.”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, flashing a smug grin that showed off her brilliant white teeth. “I try.”

Attention turning back to the room, I noticed on the opposite side to the entrance there were a pair of doors, presumably to aforementioned the girls and boys locker rooms. Each had a little panel to scan and identify our e-handbooks.

Pretty typical for the most part, with one large glaring exception: the huge machine gun hanging from the ceiling and pointed the direction of the locker rooms.

“Uh, question?” said Junko, addressing the whole room. She and eye both made eye contact before looking right back up at the gun. “What the _fuck_ is that?” She pointed.

Celeste glanced over, following her line of sight. “A machine gun. Monokuma installed it to, and I believe his phrasing more or less was ‘to keep you perverts out of the wrong locker rooms, because teens your age will hump anything with with a heartbeat’.” Hearing those words in her detached cadence and unfamiliar accent was almost hilarious. “Apparently your handbook is required in order to use the locker rooms.”

“That’s right!”

Collectively, we whipped around at the sound of the agonizingly familiar voice, and indeed, Monokuma was standing right there.

“You!” Junko glared, hands on her hips.

Mondo looked equally cross. “You better have a good goddamn reason for showing up again!”

“Honestly, can’t we have one moment of peace?” asked Celeste. She sighed. It said something about how grating Monokuma could truly be that _Celeste_ was losing patience with him.

“Just felt the need to reiterate how important that rule is!” said Monokuma. “Commendable job, Celestia, but undersold! Besides, didn’t you guys miss me?” He grinned cheekily, blushing slightly. “Remember: only a boy’s handbook can open up the boys locker room and the same goes for the girls!”

“Huh?” asked Junko. “But couldn’t a guy just sneak in after a girl unlocks the room, or the other way around?”

Monokuma bared his claws. “Any trespassers who commit such an act of indecency will be punished!” He pointed to the mounted gun. “See? There’s a Gatling gun. And it’ll be all DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA!”

He seemed to be enjoying himself. We certainly weren’t. Junko muttered something under her breath. Mondo stood there, fists clenched at his side.

“Are you crazy?” demanded Junko. “You could kill someone with that!”

“Besides, couldn’t a boy borrow a girl’s handbook if they truly wanted to get into the locker room?” asked Celeste.

Monokuma gasped. “I never thought of that! Such a glaring omission. The shame, the shame. I would never allow anyone to use such trickery! From now on, I shall create a rule: lending your e-handbook to another student is strictly forbidden.”

“Ok, ok, gotcha,” said Junko, impatiently. “Now are you done? Is it over?”

He tutted us, wagging a paw. “Such impatience. But yes, I am through.” Instead of disappearing as he always did, he left through the big double doors.

For a moment we all stood around in silence, looking around at each other.

“Enlightening,” I grumbled.

Junko snickered.

“I’m… gonna check out the girls locker room,” I said.

“I’ll go with you!” said Junko hastily, grabbing me by the coat and tailing me.

I scanned my handbook, the little card reader made a little beep, and I tried the door. And we were in.

It was just an ordinary locker room. Rows of lockers lined the wall. There were a couple different sets of weights. A plain brown rug was strewn across the floor. And once again, the ever present monitors and cameras.

Junko sulked. “You’d think this place’d be a little more impressive considering all the heavy security.”

“I think it was more about the _who_ is in here rather than the _what_ ,” I answered, examining the poster on the wall.

It was a picture of a group of pretty guys, captioned "Tornado". I didn't really know who they were, but they looked vaguely familiar. My best guess was it must've been some famous boyband. I never really kept track of that kind of stuff.

Upon entering, I noticed Kyoko was in here alone, crouching as she looked through the lockers.

“Hello, Kyoko,” I said.

“Hello.” She did not look my way.

“Miss Super-Soldier checking out the facilities?” asked Junko. “Looking to up your physique in case anyone tries to off you in your sleep?”

I frowned, displeased with Junko's cavalier attitude, but Kyoko seemed unperturbed.

“Actually, I was just leaving.” She stood up brusquely, brushing herself off and heading out the door, nearly bumping into me in the process.

I watched her go.

Junko whistled. “What a weirdo.”

“Heh, yeah.” My laugh was weak.

For just a moment, I was itching to follow her. Where did that girl always disappear off to?

Then the moment passed, and I returned to reality where Junko and I decided to check out the last room.

Finally, there was the pool.

Large and empty, spanning nearly the entire room, it looked about as uninviting as a pool could look. There was the addition of some bleachers, the typical camera and monitor, empty lifeguard chairs, a solitary empty locker all the way across the way.

And to our surprise, one person sat poolside.

Upon hearing us enter, she turned around. “Who’s there?” she called out, voice echoing throughout the large room, sounding much more antsy then her usual cheerful cadence.

“Hina,” I said, voice careful. “It’s just us.” I approached her calmly.

“Oh, hi guys!” said Hina. There was a huge smile plastered on her face. She sniffed, wiping her nose and then waving at us.

Junko grabbed me by the arm. She whispered, “‘Kuro, are you sure—”

“Yes.”

Junko nodded, letting go of my arm.

I sat down next to Hina. Her shoes and socks were off, feet hanging off the deck and wading in the pool.

“What are you doing here?” Her hair stood on end. She didn’t look at me, nor did she really look inviting for conversation.

“Just wanted to check out the facilities,” I said. “Makes sense you’d be the first one here to find this place.” I smiled. Junko just watched us.

It was hardly a joke, but Hina laughed, the sound echoing throughout the large room.

“I didn’t know you liked to swim,” I said, not entirely truthfully. I’d done my fair share of research on my classmates before the first day. It seemed there wasn’t a sport that Hina couldn’t master.

“Oh, yeah!” She nodded, still looking down at the water and not over at me. “I joined, like... uh…” She counted them off on her fingers. “Six sports teams back at my old school. Softball is my claim to fame, or something like that…” She frowned, kicking her legs. The water made a splash.

“You ok?” I asked.

“What? Oh, yeah. O’ course!” Hina said. She waved me off. “I’ll be fine, I just—” Her cheerful demeanor faltered, only be reinstated in less than a moment. “I remembered that I was feeling kinda down because I missed breakfast.”

“Ok,” said Junko. “Ok, I’ll… get something for you.” She gave me a pointed look. “Sis, holler if you need anything, right?” She left, leaving the two of us alone.

Hina’s demeanor changed once Junko left the room. She eyed me warily. “You’re not gonna make fun of me, are you? I know you’re scared of me, just like everybody else.”

I shrugged.

Hina sighed. When she realized I wasn’t going anywhere, she continued. “I thought coming here would make me feel better. But…”

“It won’t be instantaneous,” I said. “It never is.” I'd seen my fair share of grief over the years.

She shook her head. “There’s no use getting down,” she muttered, and she seemed to be talking more to herself than to me. “It’s no use. I can’t waste my time being sad. Everything is gonna turn around!” She looked resolute. It was almost convincing. “I should be fine.” She looked at me. “Why am I not fine?”

“Hina…”

She quickly stood up. “I just... I-I shouldn’t be here. I should be doing laps. Or reps. Or anything! Anywhere but here. It’s just like Makoto said! I can’t give in to despair!” She just kept on rambling. She froze, eyes wide. “I… I have to go!”

She bolted, leaving me by myself.

—

Leaving the pool, there were more people outside the locker rooms than I’d seen previously. Sayaka glanced at me as I walked in.

“Mukuro?” she asked.

“Hm?” I stopped as she grabbed my attention.

“Um…” She looked hesitant to ask.

“Yo, we just saw Hina full on sprinting down the hallway,” said Leon, who was standing by her side. “Any idea what the hell that was about?”

“Uh,” I contemplated the right way to phrase it, “She’s kind of… having a rough time, I think?”

Sayaka tugged Leon by the sleeve. “Should we talk to her?"

"I... don't know," I said honestly.

"Hey, if she needs space, you don't gotta twist my arm to convince me," said Leon.

"Well, I was just in talks with her. She was hanging around--"

"Mukuro,” said Sayaka, looking back to me. “A little birdy told me there was a pool?”

“Uh, yeah,” I said. “Just came from there actually. How did you—”

“Psychic.” She beamed.

I quirked an eyebrow.

She giggled. “Kidding! There was a sign, of course! Did you hear that, Leon? Sounds about right up your alley.”

He groaned. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Keep saying what?” Just then, Junko entered the room. “Can someone explain to me why Hina is doing stair-steppers?”

“Sis!”

“Mukuro was just telling us that Hina is having a bit of a crisis,” said Sayaka.

“Aw, that’s too bad,” said Junko. “I just grabbed her this package of donuts. Want ‘em?” She held them out to me.

I took them hesitantly, with no real intent on eating them. However, they were small enough to fit into my coat pocket.

Junko continued. “Ran into Makoto downstairs, by the way, apparently all sorts of shit on the first floor opened up that we totally missed! He asked me about you, by the way,” said Junko to me, stating one thing after the other in rapid-fire succession.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you,” she said, “Unless there’s another Mukuro around here I missed. Which is weird because it’s not like he couldn’t just march upstairs and talk to you himself.” She was on a roll. “Anyway, I know Mukuro must be dying to check out the library next door so the two of us are gonna do that while you two lovebirds can check out the pool.”

“Oh, we-we’re not—” Sayaka stuttered and blushed.

Junko ignored her, grabbing me by the hand again and we were already gone.

“I know all the stuffy academia is not really my scene, but I figured you’d be into it,” Junko said to me, not even giving me time to register what was going on as she pushed open the door to the library.

Inside, the shelves were lined with books upon books. For what was supposedly a well-funded school, the library was surprisingly small. The lighting was, to put it plainly, pretty shit, especially for a library. However, there were two desks, one with a small plug-in lamp. Chihiro, Byakuya, Toko, and Kyoko were already present.

“‘Sup.” Junko threw a peace sign. Chihiro smiled in hello, but the rest ignored her.

I perused the shelves.

“Anything catching your fancy?” asked Junko.

I shrugged. I caught sight of a door at the back of the library. “What’s that?”

“Oh, um,” said Chihiro. She opened the door to show me. It was a tiny room even darker and dingier than the library itself packed to the brim with binders and loose folders. “Just a second room.”

“Nothing of use,” interjected Byakuya. I hadn’t even realized he’d been paying attention to our conversation. If he was, he appeared to only be half-listening. He hadn’t even turned to address us.

“It seems to be an archive?” said Chihiro. It sounded like a question. “Old files, stuff belonging to the school. Not really books…”

“You looked through these?” I asked her.

“Just took a peek,” admitted Chihiro. “There’s a whole shelf of old police files for cold cases and—and stuff. Although… I don’t know how the school would get ahold of information like that…” Her voice trailed off, and she closed the door.

I was surprised Chihiro was interested in that sort of thing. She seemed far too meek and gentle to be interested in anything like old crime cases.

“Hmm.”

Toko was muttering to herself, shaking her head as she flipped through books on the shelves.

“Toko, what’s wrong?” asked Chihiro.

“N-nothing!” she snapped. After a moment, she added. “I was j-just hoping there might--there might be s-something for me to read.”

“Found anything that catches your eye?” Chihiro’s smile seemed genuinely hopeful.

Toko glanced over at the bookshelves where Byakuya was browsing, then back down at the ground. “Nope.”

“Oh, well. That’s too bad!” said Chihiro.

“W-what?” said Toko. She looked surprised that Chihiro had bothered to continue their conversation beyond her short response. “W-why would you say that?”

“Huh?” asked Chihiro. “Because I thought the library would be more… your wheelhouse? I thought maybe we could trade recommendations or—forget I asked.”

“They don’t have anything pertaining to my interests,” muttered Toko. “No manga, no comics, no fic. Is that what you wanted me to say?” Her voice continued to rise. “S-so that you could m-make--make fun of--make fun of me and call my taste low-brow? Everybody else already does!”

Chihiro looked backed into a corner. “What? No, that’s not what I—”

“Kyoko,” I interrupted loudly, “What brings you here?”

It worked. Toko backed off from Chihiro, who was saved from disaster for the second time that day.

At hearing my question, Kyoko glanced up at me and then back down at the shelves. “I suppose I don’t really come across as much of a bookworm, do I?”

“T-that’s not what I meant.” I blushed.

She grabbed a title off the shelves, took a glance at it and flipped through a few pages. When I made my way nearer to her, she showed me the cover.

“A mystery novel,” I said, surprised. “Interesting choice.”

“Yeah, I…” Her voice was quiet. She paused before adding, “I, uh…. used read all sorts of mystery stories growing up.”

“Heh,” I said. “So did I.”

Was that the traces of a smile I detected?

It seemed like it, but perhaps it was just my imagination because the next moment she was back to her usual impassive self. Kyoko didn’t respond, and instead she looked away and put the book back on the shelf.

Beside Kyoko, there was an old laptop sitting on an otherwise empty desk. I pressed the power button on the keyboard. Nothing.

Trying again, I fiddled around with the mousepad and keyboard a bit, but still no results.

“It’s broken,” said Byakuya, not even looking my way as he answered, despite it being obvious by this point.

I refrained on my desire to say something biting in response.

“Hmm,” said Kyoko. “That’s too bad. I suppose it would’ve been foolish to hope the Mastermind would give us something so useful.” She sighed. “And the lighting in here is less than ideal.”

“Hey. Byakuya, you like computers, right?” asked Junko, although knowing her it was more antagonistic than genuine curiosity.

“Like I said, it’s broken,” said Byakuya. “It’s of no use to me.”

She raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing him, but he remained unruffled. When she determined she could wring no further material out of him, whether useful or mocking, she huffed impatiently.

“Ugh,” said Junko. “This place is seriously collecting dust.” She picked up a card from one of the smaller bookshelves, giving it a disgusted look as she shook it free of dust. When shaking it didn’t seem to work, she blew at the card, the remaining dust collecting into a large cloud.

She coughed, and so did I. Junko pulled the card out of its envelope. Scanning it for a moment, she paused to look up at me. Her eyes were wide. “Mukuro,” she said, “come see this.” She waved me over.

I read the letter over her shoulder.

“‘ _Dear students of Hope’s Peak_ ’,” I read aloud. I continued to read the contents of the letter, and when I had finished, I looked up at Junko. “So the school has been shut down until further notice...”

“But we only arrived here a few days ago,” said Chihiro. She frowned.

“Due to some unspecified tragedy.” I thought about the contents of the letter. It didn’t make any sense. Surely if this were true, we would’ve heard of such an event taking place, right?

“It’s not dated,” I said, “but judging by the layer of dust, it must be… at least a year old.”

Kyoko shook her head. “That makes no sense. We only arrived a few days ago at the very most.”

“Yeah, if there was a shutdown, we for sure would’ve heard something about it,” said Junko. “Right?” She shared uneasy looks wit the rest of us. Eyeing the letter closer, she pointed to the bottom. “It’s signed from the headmaster of the school.”

“What?” asked Kyoko with a slight gasp, and judging by the tone of her voice, she was genuinely shaken. Even in times of distress, I’d never seen her quite like this before.

“Yeah,” said Junko, tapping at the signature again with her finger. “See, right there.”

“Give me that.” Kyoko snatched the letter away from Junko, scanning it up and down, but judging by the urgency in her tone I doubted that she would’ve met much resistance.

“S-so then this r-really is Hope’s Peak?” asked Toko. She was standing a good several feet away from the few of us crowding around the letter, but she had still been listening in on us. “T-that’s what the letter m-means, r-right? We weren’t taken s-someplace else?”

“Could be one of Monokuma’s tricks,” said Junko.

“But if it is real. Then… whoever is trapping us here,” said Chihiro. “Do you guys think…” Her speech drifted off.

“What is it?” asked Byakuya. “Well then, spit it out.”

“Nevermind,” said Chihiro. “It was probably silly.”

“No idea is silly,” I said. I was relieved when for once Byakuya did not interject with something snide.

“Well, ok,” said Chihiro. “I was just thinking. Do you guys think… who ever is keeping us locked up here. Could it be the headmaster of the school?”

Kyoko’s grip tightened around the letter, wrinkling the paper.

“Whoa there, easy girl,” said Junko.

Kyoko ignored her. “The headmaster!” She muttered something under her breath. “We need to find out what’s going on in this goddamn school.”

“Well, we’ll have to put that thought on hold because at the moment it is 8:30 and we should already be downstairs,” said Junko. She nodded in the direction of the clock, and as it turned out, she was correct.

“Oh, come on,” I teased her. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t prefer to be fashionably late.”

She sighed a huge, fake sigh. “Oh, you’re right. You know me so well.”

My lip twitched in a small smile, worries pushed aside just for the moment. “I’d hope so.”

—

“Oh! Looks like this is everyone, is it?,” said Makoto as we made our way into the hall—fashionably late, as predicted. Looking at the clock, I could see it was already 8:35. He smiled broadly at me as I entered the room.

“Hang on a sec,” said Hiro, counting heads, “there’s only 12 of us here, people are definitely missing.”

“Someone can count, what a shocker,” said Junko, snickering.

“Hey!... I’m a gambler. Of course I can count.”

I’d given up on chastising Junko for her quips, so I let it slide.

Sayaka piped up. “It’s Hina. Last we saw her, she was…. Um… I think she was pacing?” She frowned.

“Huh. Strange,” said Chihiro.

“What is it, Chihiro?” asked Makoto.

“Oh, um, it’s not just Hina. Someone else is missing.”

Junko nodded. “What I think Chihiro is referring to is that Mr. Punctual is strangely absent.”

“Who?” asked Leon.

She scoffed. “Taka, of course!”

“So Taka and Hina are both late. How very uncharacteristic of both of them,” said Celeste coolly.

Mondo turned to me. “Hey, Mukuro, do us a solid would ya and go find Hina for us?”

“Hm? Why me?” I shot him a questioning look. Admittedly, I was a bit annoyed. I didn’t like being turned into an errand boy.

“Because you’re closest to the door, that’s how it works.”

That was most certainly not how it worked, but I didn’t find the idea of arguing with an ultimate fighter all too appealing.

Without knowing it, I must’ve been giving him some sort of look because he added, practically yelling, “Hey, don’t look at me like that! I ain’t scared, even if that chick is sketch as hell! Look, just do it ok?”

I nodded hurriedly.

To my surprise, he grinned and gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. “Hey, thanks for that! You got this!”

Was this what it was like to experience whiplash?

I was so thrown that I barely even registered Sayaka speak. “Don’t worry, I’ll go with you!” Before I could even respond, she was by my side, arm interlinked with mine as she led me along. She smiled at me. “Let’s go!”

It happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to object.

Once outside, Sayaka turned to me while we walked. “Mondo is a rather strange person, wouldn’t you say?”

“Perhaps. But I think you have to be a little strange to end up here.”

“Good point. But he’s rather undisciplined and hot-tempered for a trained fighter…” she mused.

I thought about Makoto, knocked out on the very first day.

“I mean, poor Makoto!” said Sayaka, almost as if she could read my mind. “That was so scary. I’m sure Mondo means well, but I just don’t know whether to think he’s a good or bad person.”

“Well...” I paused, “I don’t think he really has to be either.”

“Huh?” asked Sayaka, brow furrowing quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“I-I mean,” I faltered, suddenly feeling unsure under her gaze, “nobody is 100% good or bad. He isn’t faultless,” I said, and I thought about how I’d blown up at the others the previous night, “... but neither am I.”

She thought about it. “Wow, Mukuro! That’s so wise.”

“Just speaking from experience. Even the Ultimates aren’t perfect, even if… some of you, seem to come really close.” As I said this I looked away bashfully, my face growing warm. I snuck a glance up at her before hastily looking away again.

“You don’t mean…. Oh!” Sayaka laughed. “Oh please, you flatter me. I’m far from perfect.” She waved her hand carelessly, as if to wave off my statement itself. She smiled once again. Something about that warm smile of hers set me at ease.

The pair of us ran into Taka going up the stairs to the second floor. We caught him as he was heading down, and we nearly ran into each other.

“Taka!” exclaimed Sayaka in both surprise and joy.

“Ah!” he responded, equally as surprised, stumbling and nearly falling over.

“Oh my goodness! Careful, that could’ve been dangerous,” said Sayaka with a sympathetic smile.

He brushed himself off. “Forgive me, I was being absent-minded and careless, but thank you for your concern.” He switched gears, straightening his posture. “Mukuro and Sayaka! It is most fortunate that I would run into you at a time like this! It’s Hina.”

“We know,” said Sayaka. “We were sent to look for her just now by the others.”

“Then you will be pleased to hear that I know where she is!”

“Great!” said Sayaka. “Can you take us to her?”

He hesitated.

“Taka?” I asked.

His expression seemed to fall for just a moment. “Well, see… The thing about that is… I ran into her just outside the pool. It was about ten minutes to 8:30, so I reminded her of the meeting, of course. But…”

“But?” asked Sayaka.

“I shamefully admit I was unsuccessful in getting her to attend! I have been unable to find her since.” His hands were clenched into fists, jaw set in frustration as his eyes began to water. His eyes went wide in realization. “The meeting! I’m so incredibly late. Please forgive my tardiness! I cannot believe I have allowed myself to fall so low.”

“It’s ok, Taka, nobody is blaming you,” said Sayaka. “It’s very thoughtful of you to think of including Hina.” She turned to me. “So Taka has been unable to find her, we have several accounts of her spending the past half hour working out, and she was last seen outside the pool entrance… ” She seemed to be thinking aloud, counting off each clue on her fingers as she listed them off. “Which means…”

I nodded. We seemed to be on the same wavelength. “We should—”

“Check the girls locker rooms?” she asked.

“How did you—”

“I’m psychic!” She giggled. “Kidding. Intuition. I’m no psychic, but maybe I could make a good detective’s assistant?”

“Well, get in line because I think Junko’s already gunning for that position,” I said. “It’s a good hunch, though, so you could definitely give her a run for her money.”

The pool entrance was not far from the stairs, so getting there took hardly any time at all.

Just outside the girls locker room, Sayaka and I paused to look at Taka.

“Um…” said Sayaka. “Taka, it’s probably best if you wait outside for this.” She pointed to the gun mounted to the ceiling.

“Hm?” He followed the direction of her hand until his eyes landed on the gun. “Oh! Y-yes, of course! I wouldn’t dream of—I would never!” He was bright red.

I chuckled, I couldn’t help it.

“I shall wait right here if you need me!” He added, feet planted firmly in place.

Sayaka had already swiped us in, and I was assuring him with thank yous when Sayaka took a look inside and turned to me.

“She’s not here.”

“What?” I asked.

“Have a look for yourself, it’s empty.”

I peeked my head inside, and she was right. Nobody was there.

However, there was a jacket and pair of sneakers that looked awfully familiar.

“Hm… Let’s check the pool deck. Which means Taka, you can meet us there.”

Once out on the pool deck, the three of us spotted a figure swimming in the water.

I breathed a sigh of relief. _Finally_.

“Hina!” called Sayaka. When she didn’t respond, she tried again. “Hina!”

I approached the pool.

Hina broke the surface of the water, shaking her head clear of water and breathing heavily. “Oh! I didn’t see you there.” She swam to the side of the pool, resting her arms on the side.

“Hina! Do you have any idea what time it is?” asked Taka. “You’re supposed to be in the dining hall!”

She laughed.“Heh, sorry! Guess it slipped my mind. I was doing laps, the time got away from me.”

“Hina, are you alright?” asked Sayaka.

“Yeah! I’m fine!” said Hina. Her voice was high pitched. “Why wouldn’t I be fine? I’m alive. I still have my health. You can’t let the bad things keep you down, you know?”

Sayaka nodded. “That’s the spirit! I’m glad you’re ok, but you really ought to come with us.”

“Gotcha, but I still have like twenty more laps, ok?”

“ _Hina_ ,” said Sayaka. She was beginning to sound impatient.

“Guys, this is so much better for everyone, right? I mean, everyone is mad at me, anyway, so this way everyone wins!”

I decided to speak. “I realize that you’re hurting over Sakura, but you are not to blame.”

Hina frowned. “I know that.” She pulled herself up out of the pool, grabbing a towel that was lying nearby and draped it over her shoulders.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I _know_ that," she said again. "I mean, I do. I should. I mean, if Sakura were here I know she’d want me to be tough, right? She’d say something like ‘Hina, I need you to be strong for me’.” She tried to mimick the sound of Sakura’s voice. “I can imagine her saying that, can’t you?” No response. “So that’s what I’m doing! I’m tough. I don’t need anyone. I…” Her voice broke. “don’t know how to fix this. I-I don’t know how to make things right with you guys.” She began to cry.

Sayaka rushed to her side. “Oh honey,” she said, ignoring the water and giving Hina a hug. “It’s gonna be ok. Everything is ok.”

Hina stammered through some muffled sobs. “I-I... I just. I don’t—”

“See? Everything is gonna be ok!” said Sayaka, pulling away from Hina to look at her. She snapped her fingers. “I got it! We can head back to the dining hall, and get you a real and proper breakfast! Doesn’t that sound nice? We can fix this. Let’s turn that frown upside-down!” She began to head out, but paused when she realized that Hina was still not following. “Hina?”

Taka looked over at Sayaka then to Hina. “I…”

“What is it?” asked Hina.

He looked hesitant. “I would like to say something!”

“Taka, I don’t know if that’s a good idea—” began Sayaka, but Taka ignored her.

“In most cases I would commend you for working as hard as you do. But you seem distressed. It is important to take care of all aspects of your health.”

Hina nodded slightly. “I have to find some way to keep up with my teammates. Choosing school over the team was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. And when I met Sakura… We were supposed to be training partners. She never even got to see the second floor of the school. She’d help me with sit-ups, you know?” She frowned. “Look, you guys can say whatever you want, it’s fine because yes she might’ve been a questionable person but she was trying to save me! Even you all tell me I’m foolish, I have to believe she… that is who she was. ”

“Well," said Taka, "if it is any consolation, Hina. You may have lost one friend. But you have us.”

_Wow_.

Sayaka glanced over at me. Had I said that aloud? Or had she read my mind, as she always did?

“Taka…” Hina looked at a loss for words.

“And as the dedicated best friends you could ever hope for, we will never leave your side!” said Taka, back to his unusual intensity—and loud volume. He began to cry, but thankfully they were not tears of sadness. “We will not disappoint you!”

“And he's back,” I muttered under my breath.

Sayaka snickered. All the same, she looked about as shaken as I felt.

Thankfully, they didn't hear us. Hina had laughed, pulling Taka into a what must’ve been a pretty damp hug.

Just then I remembered the pack of donuts I’d taken from Junko. “Here.” I pulled them out of my pocket and tossed them to her. She caught them with ease, despite the fact that she was one handed because she was still hugging Taka.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Donuts,” I said. “It won’t solve everything, but it’ll at least count as breakfast.”

“Name a problem donuts can’t solve,” said Hina with a half-hearted laugh. After taking a moment to recompose herself, Hina finally let go of Taka, wiping her eyes. “Thanks.” She sniffed. “I'm ok now. We can go.”

“Hopefully the meeting isn't over,” I said.

—

As Taka and Hina were in absorbed in rapt conversation, Sayaka followed closely behind, watching them with an awestruck expression. “How did he do that?” she whispered to me.

I shrugged. “I have no clue,” I said through a laugh as I shook my head, equally as confounded. “I guess… You were trying to make her happy.”

“But that’s what she needed. Right? That’s always what people need.”

“Well, maybe she just needed a good cry,” I said.

_And someone as emotional and excessively hard-working as she is to bring that out_.

As talented and kind-hearted as Sayaka was, that wasn’t something with which I could see her resonating. She just always seemed so happy. Even in hard times she was pretty unwavering. The only time I could remember that happy-go-lucky attitude disappearing was when Monokuma revealed our first motive. Still, I was surprised that Taka seemed to have gotten to Hina. He wasn’t always the most perceptive person in the world. Still, he had his moments. Perhaps I'd misjudged him.

Sayaka looked deep in thought. “Huh.” She didn’t speak the rest of the way.

We entered the dining hall to find the other students deep in conversation.

“So we don’t have any leads?” Makoto was muttering, in thought.

“Are you kidding? No clues at all?” said Junko.

“Well, we do have this letter,” said Chihiro.

“What about it?” said Kyoko.

“Hi guys,” said Hina.

Several heads turned upon hearing her come in.

“Whoa, it’s Hina!” said Hiro, open mouth shock turning into a surprising grin. “You guys were gone for, like, a crazy long time.”

“We were starting to get worried,” said Chihiro.

“Really?” asked Hina.

“Of course!” said Makoto earnestly. “That’s why Mukuro and Sayaka were looking for you. Are you ok?”

“I think I will be,” said Hina, smiling gratefully.

Taka had been standing close to me upon entering the cafeteria. However, while Hina was being swarmed, I noticed Taka slink silently into the mass of students, unnoticed and ignored. Rather unusually, instead of making a scene he’d been completely silent.

I wanted to talk to him, just to reassure him of his helpfulness today with Hina, but instead I was bombarded by a familiar face. I never got the chance to tell him.

“‘Kuro!” It was Junko. She came bounding up to me, grabbing me by the hands. “We are soooo sorry, but you guys were taking ages so we got started without you.” She pouted apologetically, looking up at me with big round puppy-dog eyes.

“Oh, it’s alright.”

“No, it’s not! It was shitty of us.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Makoto. “Pressure from the others, everyone went ahead and began sharing their findings so that’s how it ended up working.”

“Really, it’s ok,” I assured them. “Someone can just catch us up later. But what is this I hear about a lack of leads?”

Byakuya spoke. “There are no helpful additional clues to aid in our escape.”

“You’re still here?” asked Junko, shooting him an annoyed look.

“Not for much longer,” he said. “Now that everyone is arrived and caught up, I have no further purpose here.” He walked bruskly out the door.

“Oh no, he’s gone, what a shame,” said Junko, voice laced with sarcasm.

“Anyway, Byakuya is right, yeah? We’re still trapped like mice in a cage. Not for lack of trying,” said Hiro. “We searched this place top to bottom!”

“Yeah,” said Mondo. “And you and Junko were right about those metal plates. Wouldn’t budge an inch.” For a moment, he seemed resolute, but he cracked his knuckles, seemingly agitated. “But that doesn’t mean I’m givin’ up just yet! I swear, I’ll get out of this fuckin’ place if it kills me!”

“That is all well and good, but I do hope you mean what you say,” said Celeste.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Yeah!” said Junko. “The way you talk, you make it seem like you don’t even want to get out of here.”

“Well, I would be willing to bet that too much resistance will be met with punishment from the Mastermind,” said Celeste. “Particularly if you violate the school rules. I hope you are willing to die in your attempt for that freedom.”

He grit his teeth. “Shit… I ain’t dying. I know that much.”

“Then may I suggest adaptation as a means for survival?” She smiled, as if she were merely suggesting the special at a restaurant, not a survival tip for a school of mutual killing. “As I said before, if you continue to expose your weakness, you will die.”

“I ain’t weak,” said Mondo. “But… I see what you’re getting at. I’ll back off, but that doesn’t mean I’m done fighting just yet.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less of the Ultimate Martial Artist,” said Celeste.

“Yeah, yeah,” grumbled Junko. “Cool it, Elvira. Message received, no rocking the boat until after you’ve gotten your spa day.”

“Hm?” I asked.

“Oh, you were gone for that part,” said Junko. “Makoto was checking the first floor, there’s now a pantry, a bathhouse, and a sauna.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. “Cool?”

“It will certainly make things more comfortable for us,” said Celeste. “There is plenty of equipment and food to choose from in the pantry, granted we all stick to our word and do not go out at night time. We can certainly lead satisfying lives for quite some time in here.”

“Celeste has a point,” said Kyoko. “Rather than causing a commotion, we should be learning our new environment. We don’t want to cause too much suspicion. That doesn’t mean we stop looking for a way out, but we ought be careful about bringing too much attention to ourselves, otherwise the Mastermind will certainly stop us.”

It was an unusual speech coming from Kyoko, considering the fact that she looked suspicious every time she disappeared for long stretches of time with no explanation.

Nevertheless, I agreed. “Absolutely. We just need to be smart about this.”

The others murmured in agreement.

“Well, with all that out of the way,” said Hina. “I think I’m game for a real breakfast.”

“Me, too,” I said, suddenly realizing how hungry I felt.

“Actually,” said Makoto. “When I said we started without you guys, I wasn’t just referring to the meeting. Sorry, we sort of ate already.”

Taka nodded sorrowfully. “It is fine. I shall face the consequences for my tardiness!”

“It’s not a big deal,” I said. “You guys go on ahead, I’ll just grab something right now.”

A few of the others waved their goodbyes. I even got a couple hugs.

“I’ll stay, too! Would you guys like something?” asked Sayaka to the rest of the latecomers: Hina, Taka, and myself.

“Oh, are you a cook?” asked Hina, her energy finally seeming to return for the first time in ages.

“The best!” said Sayaka. “I make a mean chili oil.”

“A condiment?” asked a shocked Taka.

She laughed. “Kidding. I’ll see what we have in the kitchen.”

Junko was still by my side. “I’m heading out. You gonna be ok?” She took me by the hands again.

I looked over at the other students then back to her. “Of course.”

“See? Now don’t you see the appeal of being fashionably late?”

“Mukuro, get over here!” called Hina, poking her head out of the kitchen.

“One sec!” I turned to Junko. “Sure, I’m just reveling in the attention.”

She laughed, giving my hands a squeeze before going—leaving me to my breakfast with the other fashionably late kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By this part of the story, Sayaka is kinda... dead so I hope I'm doing her character justice. I'm doing a lot of interpretation based on some kinda sparse canon data, so hopefully I'm not reaching. In my opinion, Sayaka's cheery attitude has a strange performative aspect to it, which I wanted to highlight. However, similarly, I feel like for both Hina and Sayaka, their cheery personalities are the solution to their vulnerability, Sayaka by putting on a persona and Hina coping by trying to stay light-hearted because if she's too bogged down with sadness she becomes overwhelmed and depressed. Meanwhile, Taka isn't always the most perceptive person in the world but i figured the One (1) Thing he would probably catch onto is someone pouring themselves into their work as a coping mechanism for their loneliness.
> 
> Hina went to the Chris Traeger School for Dealing with Depression. "If I keep my body moving, and my mind occupied at all times, I will avoid falling into the bottomless pit of despair!"
> 
> Mukuro is finally learning how to flirt. Just a bit.
> 
> Vote for your favorite Junko Nickname &/or insult in the comments below!
> 
> Ok but for honest, please let me know who you want to get to know during free time! I went with two last time, but i think that was too few a number, so some of them will be plot related but I will also be sure to include the popular choices too! I really appreciate your feedback


	8. Chapter 2.2: I Was Just Totally Clueless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Free Time Events with the other students!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone who requested a free time event with Junko. Fam... they’re sisters. Every day with Junko is a Free Time Event w/ Junko. (I'm kidding, I love you guys.)
> 
> This is kind of experimental.
> 
> Anyway, everyone seems to respond positively to Fortune Teller!Celeste so y'all can have your Celeste content. Finally.

“Call me crazy, but are we a few people short?” asked Hiro, scratching his chin.

“I swear to god, I’m having fucking deja vu,” muttered Junko to herself over her breakfast.

“Pardon?” I pulled up a chair beside her, looking around the dining hall.

“Once again, we’re a few kids short of a breakfast, just like Hiro is a few cards short of a deck,” said Junko. “Not this again. I thought we’d overcome the whole ditching thing yesterday.”

I did the briefest of head-counts, and he was right. Two people missing, and two people… gone.

I didn’t know if I would ever get used to the emptiness.

“Hmmm…. Has anyone seen Makoto?” asked Sayaka.

 _Strange_. He was usually a pretty early riser.

Chihiro shook her head. “No,” she said, “I haven’t seen him all morning. Usually he is here by now. Is he alright?”

“Well, how should we know that?” asked Junko. “Sorry, babe,” she added upon realizing who she’d snapped at. “I’m pre-morning coffee and all that. A girl needs her beauty sleep, and I’m exhausted.”

Chihiro smiled back, unperturbed.

“Anyway,” added Junko, “we should probably go look for him.” 

“Absolutely!” I said immediately without thinking, rising to my feet.

Junko raised an eyebrow at me.

 _“Who are we looking for?”_ A familiar voice came from the entrance of the cafeteria.

“Makoto!”

The others rushed him.

“Thank god, you’re here!” said Sayaka. “We were so worried.” She was hovering by his side, one hand on his arm.

“Yeah! We were gonna go looking you!” said Hina.

Despite the rocky start, the others had been doing better about re-integrating her into the group. She still came to breakfasts, and there was still some hesitancy around her, but I was glad we were making progress. Hina’s overall mood seemed to be improving as well.

Once everyone had calmed down, I spoke. “Glad you’re here,” I said, nodding slightly.

“Oh, thank you for worrying!” he said, turning a light shade of red. “Thank y-you all, I mean! Of course! But I was actually going to talk to Byakuya. I was hoping to convince him to come join us, but I don’t think he’s in his room.” He frowned, and I felt the strange feeling of disgust for anyone who could ever let this boy down.

We looked around at each other, the question of what to do about Byakuya still in the air.

“Is there any hoping that if we just ignore the problem maybe it’ll go away?” asked Junko. When no one answered, she sighed, getting to her feet. “Fine. Let’s go find Four-Eyes.”

“I suggest some of us check the second floor!” said Taka. "But a few should stay behind."

“If we split up, we can cover more ground,” said Makoto.

“Precisely!”

“S-stop trying to one up everyone!” whined Toko, but Taka ignored her.

“I’ll go check on his room again,” said Makoto. “Just one more time, just to make sure.”

“I’ll go with you!” said Sayaka.

There was something hasty about the way she’d said it.

Junko grabbed my hand, distracting me from my thoughts. “You and me are gonna stick together.”

Once outside the dining hall, Junko looked to me. “So, where to?”

Before I could answer, someone else spoke.

“Um, pardon me?”

We looked over, and Chihiro was standing beside us, raising a timid hand. “I don’t know if this is any help at all, but yesterday he did seem to be spending a strange amount of time fixated on the library. Sorry, I’m probably reading too far into things.”

I shook my head. “No, no, that’s a good hunch.”

“You know what? Now that I think about it, Ultimate Shut-In did show the barest trace of interest... beyond his usual holier-than-thou disdain, of course,” said Junko.

“Exactly,” I said. “We can start there.”

“Oh? Then lead the way, Ultimate Detective,” said Junko, smirking.

—

Chihiro’s hunch appeared to be correct. When the three of us found Byakuya, he was sitting at a desk at the back of the classroom, reading a book. Distinctly remembered from yesterday that the lighting in the library was awful for reading, but then I saw beside him a lamp connected to an extension cord.

Junko stood in the doorway indignantly. “Hey!”

He ignored her.

 _“Hell-o?”_ said Junko. “Is this where you’ve been the whole time?”

“B-Byakuya!” said Makoto.

I hadn’t even noticed when he’d entered the room, but he must’ve heard Junko’s yelling.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I'm fishing,” said Byakuya, not bothering to look up from his book. “What does it look like I'm doing?”

“We were all seriously worried about you!” said Makoto.

“Well…” began Junko, but Makoto ignored her as he continued.

“We went looking for you!”

“Did I ask you to do that?”

“We’re supposed to be spending breakfast together!” said Makoto. “We made a promise!”

Several of the others had wandered into the room, either from hearing the conversation or word of mouth, and they continued to spill in.

“A promise? Hmph. I thought I made it perfectly clear that as long as Hina is around, I have no wish to attend. I’m done participating in your delusional little co-op game.”

Hina had been one of the newcomers, but she must've heard what he had said because upon hearing this, she shied back as if hurt by his words.

“C-co-op?” asked Toko. “W-what do you mean?”

“Can you stop treating this like a joke?” asked Hina indignantly, recovering from her former wounded pride.

Celeste walked in and past everyone else, but from the way everyone was looking at her you’d think she’d fabricated out of thin air. Something about her just radiated poise and composure; all eyes were drawn to her.

“On the contrary,” said Celeste, despite the fact that I was fairly certain she had not been here to experience the entire conversation, “he is treating it like a game. A zero-sum game to be exact.”

“Oh, yeah, huh?” said Hiro. He scratched his head as though in thought. “You mean, a situation in which for one person to win, another's gotta lose.”

“A rudimentary explanation, but essentially, yes.”

Hiro raised an eyebrow. “You gamble? You're like twelve, yeah?”

“The words of the twenty-year old high schooler,” said Celeste, to which he only laughed good-naturedly. “Absolutely not, being underage, I would never participate in such illegal activities.” She smirked, and with the fact that she was laying it on so thick, I was wholly unconvinced.

“Whatever, enough with the moralizing. A zero-sum game, ay? So… an elimination match,” grumbled Mondo.

“In a sense.” Celeste nodded. “It is a game in which competitors must scramble for limited resources. But actually, beyond gambling, many forms of social interaction fall into this category: entrance exams, sports tournaments, job openings.” For someone who supposedly did not participate, she certainly knew a lot. Her voice was impassive as always, but there was a strange gleam in her eyes. “In order to to succeed, someone else must fail.”

“Exactly,” said Byakuya. “And I wouldn’t want to be unprepared for our little game.”

“B-but that’s horrible!” said Chihiro, voice surprisingly resolute. “We can’t be treating this like a game! The price of failure is our lives! We shouldn’t fight! Win or lose, I don’t care. The idea of killing our friends is… is…”

“So eloquently put,” said Byakuya, voice full of sarcasm. “We are not friends. By nature of the game, we are competitors—in fact, we are enemies.”

“Even so, perhaps Chihiro is right,” mused Celeste. “After all, adaptation—” she began in her usual mantra, but she was cut off before she had the chance.

“Who said anything about adapting?” said Byakuya. “It’s a game, and I’ll treat it as such. It’s so much more fun that way.” His face twisted in a sickening grin. I couldn’t believe he was enjoying this. “Besides,” he added, his tune shifting and even his usual look of disdain couldn’t describe the contempt in his eyes as he looked at Chihiro, “win or lose, what could the Ultimate Affluent Progeny possibly know about loss?”

“What?” Chihiro’s eyes were wide.

“I must admit,” said Celeste, “the very name of Fujisaki Corp. evokes victory. I think our twee little programmer here is simply pointing out that your success is built on the very foundation of defeat.”

“‘Twee little programmer’?” said Byakuya, but Celeste ignored him.

“What do you—” asked Chihiro, but Celeste continued.

“How do you think such corporations came into being?” asked Celeste. “How do you think they became world superpowers? Surely you can’t be so naive.”

Byakuya was again dismissive. “Please. How could she possibly understand? What even is failure to an heir who has been handed everything she could possibly ask for? How could you possibly understand true victory without struggle?”

Chihiro’s eyes began to well up. "I—that’s not…”

“I don’t know how someone as weak as you has lasted this long,” said Byakuya.

“Hey!” said Mondo. “Cut that shit out! Haven’t we told you enough times to keep your damn mouth shut?” It was a question, but he bellowed it so loud that it sounded otherwise.

“I see, you’re still playing at being friends,” said Byakuya. "Very well, that is how you feel, but I see no need in indulging in your delusions. She is not your friend. She voted for Sakura, just as you all did.”

“But I—” began Chihiro.

“Oh, lay off,” said Leon. “We’re not masochists. Sometimes, you just gotta choose between the lesser of two evils, ya know?”

“Exactly,” said Sayaka, “It isn’t right to sit around blaming ourselves, and we’re done placing blame on others. Isn’t that right, Makoto?”

“Absolutely!” said Makoto. “Chihiro isn’t to blame, neither is Sakura or Hifumi! This is all the Mastermind’s doing!”

“Mastermind or not, we’ve been placed in a situation in which we are pitted against one another,” said Byakuya. “The sooner you accept that, the better off you will be.” He shook his head, as if disgusted with himself. “And here I am, trying to rationalize with my _competition_.”

“I-I’m sorry,” said Chihiro, her eyes full of tears. She fell to her knees, her face buried in her hands.“I shouldn’t have said anything. I-It’s hopeless,” she blubbered out. “I just—”

“Chihiro!” Sayaka was at her side, crouching to put out a reassuring arm, but Chihiro flinched away.

Upon realizing that Chihiro was being unreceptive to her help, she backed off.

“Kid! Come on, don’t let him get to you like that.” For once, Mondo’s tone was surprisingly gentle. That was gone in an instant. When Chihiro didn’t let up, Mondo turned to Byakuya. He was seething. “Quit picking on her just because she can’t fight back! Fuck you, asshole!”

“Mondo! Please, think! Do not do anything rash!” said Taka.

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do!”

“Spoken with the eloquence of a bratty child,” muttered Junko.

“Mondo, I understand that you’re mad, but please try to calm down!” said Makoto.

And to my continued surprise, ever brave Makoto stepped in between Mondo’s rage and someone else.

“I _am_ calm!” he said, still approaching Byakuya, but with Makoto in between he could do little.

Thankfully, this time he didn’t take his anger out on Makoto instead. Well, at the very least, he didn’t punch him again. Rather, he shoved Makoto out of the way, but other than that, he at least calmed down enough that he didn’t try to snap Byakuya in half.

With a painful sounding thud, Makoto fell onto the floor.

Byakuya scoffed, completely unperturbed by Mondo’s targeted anger. “Please, by all means, continue to keep this up. You all thought Hina was your friend, didn’t you? And instead she tried to get you all executed. That’s exactly where this foolish belief will lead you.”

The eyes in the room turned to Hina, which on the one hand meant Mondo was sufficiently distracted, but now meant that Hina was under heavy scrutiny. She looked pretty close to tears.

“I—I didn’t mean...” began Hina, but she was unable to finish her thought.

It was the second time he’d lashed out at Hina. Noticing Hina beginning to shrink back again, Sayaka put a comforting hand on Hina’s shoulder.

“Well, yes, but…” said Sayaka, frowning. “We forgive her. She’s making amends.”

“If you were smart you would leave her to fend for herself.”

“Do not berate the poor girl, Byakuya. This must all come as a shock to her,” said Celeste. “As I was saying, we must simply learn to co-exist. Therefore, we will no longer need to compete.”

I was always so taken with Celeste. I couldn’t read the damn girl. At times she seemed sympathetic to others, and at other times she seemed completely devoid of emotion or care.

“But why would I want to stop competing?” said Byakuya. “It’s everyone else who needs to step their game up. The competition is no fun without active participants.”

“I will say,” said Kyoko, who almost seemed to emerge from the shadows as she spoke. “If you plan on winning, provoking your competition by being as intentionally aggravating toward them as possible is certainly an… _interesting_ self-preservation technique.”

My lip twitched in a small smirk.

“What?” said Byakuya. “‘Intentionally aggravating’?”

Kyoko didn't answer.

Junko spoke up, intentionally ignoring him. “Oh, but I so much liked the sound of ‘twee little programmer’,” said Junko with a sigh. “I do so wish I’d come up with that one myself,” she said to Celeste. Turning to Byakuya, she added sharply, “All the same, what makes you so sure you won’t be next?”

“I won’t die. It is simply a fact.” He turned to go. “I am through. If anyone still needs further clarification, do not expect me at our ‘friendly’ group meals. Someone could easily poison our food. Continuing to indulge my competition is a waste of time, and I hate wasting my time.”

Once he was gone, I made my way over to Makoto—who was still on the floor—and offered a hand to help him up. “You good?”

“Oh. Y-yeah,” he said. He took my hand, grunting as he struggled to lift himself up.

“Are you alright, Makoto?” asked Sayaka immediately.

He blushed. “Y-yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Watching the door, Hina sighed. “It’s no use. And Byakuya calls us deluded?”

“I’d love to know what’s got him so sure of himself,” huffed Junko.

“Pretty much we can just chalk it up to simple arrogance, man,” said Hiro.

Junko scowled. “You wear embroidered coats and gold-plated shoes!” she said in disbelief.

“Hey!” Hiro pointed a finger indignantly. “Why am I always the one getting picked on? Byakuya just said this was a game, does that not trigger anyone else’s alarm bells?”

“Besides,” I jumped in, “didn’t you say it yourself? ‘Vanity is great and all, but nothing beats good old-fashioned egotism’.”

Junko smirked, relenting. “Okay, yeah that was pretty good.” She sighed. “Alright, I get it. Whatever, it’s just him and his unusually inflated ego. Death ‘doesn’t compute’ or whatever." She made finger quotes. "And... you’re right." She sighed. "My bullshit alarm has been going off since day one.”

“He is one that speaks as though he knows little of failure,” said Celeste, also looking to the now empty doorway.

“More like he’s one who speaks as though he’s never had a normal conversation with a human before,” grumbled Junko.

“B-but... he has a point.”

We all turned to see Toko, hunched and shaking her head as usual.

“Toko?” asked Hina. “Come on, what are you saying?”

Toko grimaced at Hina. Out of everyone left, Toko had definitely been one of the slowest to re-integrating Hina back into the dynamic with no trouble. “Ugh. Y-you couldn’t p-possibly understand, could you? Y-you—you treacherous bitch, you nearly g-got us all killed! B-Byakuya, h-he’s right, we d-don’t—don't know who is going to strike next. F-for all we—all we know, someone _could_ poison our food.”

“Come on,” said Junko. “Forget what he said. This kind of worrying is totally bad for your skin.”

“Yeah, seriously,” said Leon. “Fuck him.”

“I don’t w-want advice from a slut like you!” said Toko to Junko.

Junko glared at her. She looked as if she were about to retort, but Toko continued before she could.

“W-why would you ever bother helping s-someone as—as ugly enough as me? You d-don’t care about my skin. You w-wouldn’t even c-care if I—if I—if I was—was the next one to go!”

“Toko,” said Sayaka, and once again she moved to comfort, but Toko just backed away. “No one said that.”

“B-but you’re thinking it!” cried Toko. “There, I can—I can s-see it in your eyes! You don’t want me here! You all th-think I’m—I'm some filthy disgusting creature!” She began to pull at her hair, voice rising.

I had this sick feeling in my gut. I didn’t know where it was coming from. Perhaps it was from listening to Toko talk about herself, perhaps it was hearing Toko’s comments toward Junko, but I couldn’t fathom why I was so upset.

“Please,” reasoned Makoto. “Toko, no one thinks you’re disgusting.”

For once, I couldn’t tell if it was something said in earnest, or if it was something more performative. He was usually so patient, and this continued to be the case, but there was an uncharacteristic false note. Did my suspicion make me like Toko? I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know how.

“D-don’t be ridiculous,” said Toko. “Y-you all—you all hate me! You wish I was gone! Even if you don’t—don't know it yet, you will, just wait!”

“Toko, wait!” said Makoto.

She ran off, and from what I could tell she was holding back tears. The twisted feeling in my stomach did not subside, but it was now accompanied by guilt for simply watching her leave.

“There is nothing to be done,” said Celeste, and as she spoke eye turned away from the door and to her. She smiled. “Just let her be. When she gets this way, she is beyond hope.”

I grimaced, the sick feeling in my stomach twisting even tighter, but I stayed silent nonetheless.

“I—I don’t like it,” said Sayaka, as though voicing my thoughts aloud once more. “Shouldn’t someone go talk to her?”

Leon shook his head. “By all means, feel free, but I’m so done dealing with crazies.”

Sayaka frowned, brow furrowed in contemplation.

Junko shrugged. “Eh, who needs Byakuya, anyway?” she said. “It’s not like he was cooperative or pleasant when he was around.”

“Are you alright, Hina?” asked Sayaka as she looked to her. “I know he was kind of hard on you.”

“I’m okay,” said Hina. She and Taka were in the process of helping of helping Chihiro to her feet. “I mean… I didn’t get the worst of it.” She glanced at Chihiro as she said this, before adding, “Nothing a few donuts can’t solve, right?”

Sayaka smiled. “That’s the spirit. And you, Chihiro?”

Chihiro looked up. “Hm?” Oh… I… I’ll be okay.”

“Well, I think it’s about time we headed back down to breakfast,” said Hina. “What do you say, Chihiro, why don’t you and I split some donuts? Maybe that’ll make you feel better.”

“You and your donuts,” mumbled Hiro, shaking his head.

Hina ignored him.

Chihiro managed a small smile. “That would be good, I think.”

“See?” Sayaka’s returning smile was bright. “Better already!”

Slowly, we all filtered out of the library and back downstairs. Ultimately, our breakfast meeting came to an end without answering any questions. Everyone headed back to their rooms…

—

With much time left in the day, I was left to wander the school.

—

Itching for something, anything, to entertain, I came across Kyoko in the girls locker room.

“Hello, Kyoko,” I said upon entering the room.

She let go of the pull-up bars, nodding to me in return.

“It’s good to see you,” I added.

Kyoko took a swig from a water bottle sitting on a nearby bench, shooting me a quizzical look. “If you’re looking to be entertained, it is probably best to be on your way,” she said in her usual manner, but her voice was just noticeably breathless.

She’d worked up quite a sweat.

“What?” I asked, taken aback.

She didn’t answer, perhaps because she was breathing heavily, and instead sat down on the bench, grabbing a towel sitting beside her and wiping her forehead. She hadn’t been wearing her usual gloves, but she quickly wiped her hands and slipped them back on before I could get a good look at her hands.

Realizing that I was staring, I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts, hastily trying to find something to say. “Oh, no! I-I was just—”

She shrugged, ignoring my incoherent stammering as she glanced at the clock. “However, I am taking a break for the moment. So I suppose I have the time. Is there something you wish to tell me?”

I shook my head. “N-no, nothing in particular.” 

“Hm… Then what brings you here?”

“Just looking for a way to pass the time.”

“With… me?” She hesitated to meet my eye.

I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but I could feel my face grow warm. Just then, I remembered the bag I kept on my person. It kept random junk I’d taken from the gift shop. Most of the stuff was admittedly of no use to me, but I’d grabbed it nonetheless. As shameful as it was, I could be a bit of a hoarder. But perhaps all the loot I'd nicked could be enjoyed by others.

“Uh…” I dug through my bag, grabbing a box I thought looked promising and offered it to her. “Do you like coffee?”

“For me?”

“Yeah, I, uh… found it in the giftshop.” While I definitely was a bit of a caffeine fiend, Luwak coffee was way more expensive than my typical price range. I’d certainly never tasted it, but that meant it would be all the nicer for a gift.

She took it gingerly from me, examining it. “How did you know I was interested in this?”

I shrugged again.

On her lips, the barest trace of a smile. “Very well. You’re an enigma, Mukuro Ikusaba.” She looked at me expectantly, patting the empty seat beside her on the bench.

“Oh. Hah, thanks...” My ears were burning. I was surprised she’d changed her tune so quickly. I sat down next to her, staring at my feet so as to avoid looking at her, and swinging my legs just a little.

“You wish to converse?” She was watching me.

“I—I suppose. It’s not necessary, but—”

“Why? Are you here to psychoanalyze me?” She eyed me shrewdly.

My head was spinning. Just a moment ago, she’d almost seemed happy to see me, but now she was back to that icy demeanor. “What? No, I—”

“Is that your strategy, Ultimate Detective?” she asked me. “Are you trying to scope out information on the competition?”

“I... And what if I am?” I challenged, pulling myself together and changing tactics. “Does that scare you? I think the Ultimate Soldier could take me in a fight.” I laughed weakly at my non-joke.

She didn’t laugh, but rather looked away. “It is natural to feel fear. It keeps you on your toes. It means your imagination is working.”

“Hm. I thought the super-soldier would be over fear,” I mused. “You never seem scared in the slightest.”

_Well, she never seemed scared... except yesterday when we came across the letter in the library._

“Of course, I am afraid. But to show it would be to expose weakness. I thought you of all people would understand.”

“Me, of all people?”

“You just… seem like the kind of person who can see beyond outward appearances.”

I thought about it. “Well, reading people is… kinda part of the job.”

“And you’re good at only letting people see what you want them to see,” said Kyoko.

I didn’t see what she was getting at, but I didn’t protest. I wanted to say the same to her. Out of all the students here, she was particularly difficult to read.

“However…” She paused. “You still have a weak link.”

“I do?”

She nodded. “Your protective nature for your sister. You are not as…” She pondered the right choice of words, “ _foolishly open_ as some of the others, but if you do not learn to keep those emotions in check, they will soon become your weakness.”

I scowled. “I’m just looking out for her.”

“You don’t want to lose her.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Of course!”

“And that is your fear. Fear of what you might lose.”

“I don’t understand. Isn’t there someone or something you would be afraid to lose? Am I not supposed to care for my sister?”

She nodded serenely. “I understand, Mukuro. I have lost as well. Just… be careful. I would hate for someone to take advantage of your weakness.”

What was that supposed to mean? Was it supposed to be a warning? And a warning for what? Or for who?

I hugged my arms close to my chest. “I think people are more afraid of me than anything.”

It was more than I wanted to admit. Forcing myself to remain composed, I pushed thoughts of the night of Sakura’s trial out of my mind. My anger. The shocked look on everyone's faces. It was more than I could bear. Surely, they all thought differently now.

“That is exactly why you ought to be careful.” She paused again, and we sat in silence for a moment. “Are you afraid?”

I frowned. “I already answered that.”

“Of me?”

I hesitated. “No.” I dared a glance at her. “Should I be?” My breath hitched as our eyes met.

Was it just my imagination, or did we seem to be getting closer?

“I’m afraid that’s for you to decide. I won’t tell you how to feel.”

For who knows how long we just sat there, locking eyes until a click and the sound of an oh too familiar voice brought us back.

“Hey, ‘Kuro! Hiro told me you were up here, and he said he wanted someone to play cards with, but I figured screw that, I’ve just been _dying_ for someone to braid hair with, and I know, I know, you’re hair is short, but I was thinking—oh, hey Kyoko! Didn’t see you there.” Junko grinned, waiting for me in the doorway.

Upon hearing her come in, I cleared my throat, scooting away from Kyoko just a touch.

Kyoko didn’t respond to Junko. Rather, she stood up, brushing herself off and slinging her towel over her shoulder. “I should get going.”

“Already?” I asked.

She headed for the door. “I will not further occupy your time, since it seems you are in such high demand. Besides,” she turned back to me, lip twitching ever so slightly in a crooked smile, “you’re not the only one with an air of mystery to maintain.”

She left me in the locker room with Junko, sitting there dumbfounded and awestruck.

Junko looked to me, to where Kyoko had just passed through in the doorway, and then back to me. “Did she just… What the hell was that?”

I stared blankly at the wall. “I have no idea,” I whispered.

—

“Well, this is certainly a new look for you, Mukuro,” said Celeste as I entered the kitchen, a small smile playing on her lips as she took a look at me.

“It’s my sister’s doing,” I muttered, turning away from her and opening up the fridge in hopes of finding a snack. I’d paid my dues to society and allowed myself to be Junko’s guinea pig. Now, I was hungry.

“Of course,” she said, her smile unfaltering.

I did my best to ignore her stares and quiet giggles. The pigtails were certainly a bit juvenile, but I certainly couldn’t undo all the hard work my sister had put into them, could I? What kind of monster would I have been?

“What’re you looking for?” I asked, more so out of politeness than any real desire to keep the conversation going. I’d rather be out of there than get roped into a full on talk with the Mistress of the Undead.

She sighed. “Oh, I was hoping perhaps to find tea for later, but I don’t know if anything here is to my taste.”

I recalled seeing something in the gift shop that might’ve been the answer. “Hm…” I fumbled through my bag, finally spotting what I was looking for and grabbing a box and tossing it to her.

She caught it, eyes wide in surprise.

“Rose hip tea,” I explained. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

She turned it over in her carefully manicured fingers. “You wish to give this to me?”

“Uh… Yeah.” I shrugged sheepishly. “Call it an apology.”

“For?”

“For… snapping at you the other day.”

For a moment, she stood there, impassive. Then, she smiled. “There is nothing to be done. The past is in the past.” She examined her gift once more. “Interesting!” She looked up at me again, and for once her smile seemed genuine. “The gods heard my prayer, and my wish has been granted!”

Certainly dramatic, but her thanks did not go unappreciated. Perhaps praying to the gods had something to do with her whole fortune teller deal.

“Hmhmhm,” she said, sounding self-satisfied. “This is all because of my daily sympathy and compassion, is it not?”

I snorted. “Uh… Sure.” I closed the fridge, unsatisfied and instead just grabbed an apple from the stockpile and began to head out, but before I could, Celeste spoke.

“Would you like some company? I’d be happy to grace you with my presence.”

I nodded slowly, not sure what was could’ve been in it for her. If there was one thing I felt pretty sure of, it was that Celeste did not extend herself without expecting something in return. Furthermore, I was still wary. Yes, she had accepted my earlier apology, but I didn’t know what she got out of spending further time with me.

She smiled. “Please, relax. I am merely wishing to amuse myself. If you must know, it is a step up from being pestered by… certain individuals.”

“O...kay…”

I was a little ansty. I supposed I had no reason to be, just my basest instincts were very unnerved by Celeste. But I complied. Perhaps I had been too hasty to judge her. This was an opportunity to gain a more nuanced perspective.

We left the kitchen, sitting ourselves at one of the smaller two-seater cafeteria tables.

“Are you sure?” I asked, still offering her an out. A small part of me wanted her to take it so that I could book it. “It’s just an apple, I can take it back to my room—”

“It is quite alright,” she said. “I doubt you would be any more tiresome than the others.”

_Well, alright then._

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” I joked. When she merely shot me a questioning look in response, I sighed.

“Well,” said Celeste, ignoring my comment and moving forward. “In return for your thoughtful gift, you may ask me a question. I’m certain you must be curious about something.”

“Wait, you mean like a fortune?”

She laughed. “You are quite the joker, Mukuro.”

I didn’t see what was so funny, but she continued.

“Really, very hilarious, but no. I don’t sell my talents for free…” She thought it over. “Then again, you did give me that tea as payment. And I am certain that us meeting is no mere coincidence. I can give you a discount. Care to take a crack at it?”

It was certainly enticing, but I didn’t have that kind of money. “I’m okay. But if you’re still open for questions, can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” said Celeste.

“How does your fortune-telling actually work?” I asked, unable to help myself. “You went into it a little bit during the trial, but I’m still a bit... hazy on the details.”

She’d gone on this whole explanation on the performative aspect of her talent, but in the end I was still disbelieving. I didn’t know what to think. Was she telling the truth, and the pageantry was her just fulfilling her customers wishes, or was there something more sinister involved?

I was dying to know, but also more than a little scared to ask. I was already beginning to regret my decision.

“Well, normally I would not disclose my trade secrets,” said Celeste. “But since you asked so politely, I will tell you. I use several methods with my divination tools, including tarot and my crystal ball. Of course, to be in the business and become as successful as I am, you have to have a talent for correctly reading your divination tools. In that way, you can correctly interpret the messages from the powers from beyond. Are you following?”

“Yes…” I nodded slowly, trying to absorb it all.

“Of course, skill and talent are important, but there is one power in particular that comes to aid me that can trump any skill.”

“I see…”

“My power… is luck.”

I blinked. “Luck?”

“Yes. Don’t you see? That is why the success rate for my fortunes is unbeatable. Because you can have all the skill in the world, but in the end, I have been granted the gift of luck. And with luck, I will never fail.”

“So after all this, you just rely on your luck? That’s all there is to it?”

“Do not misunderstand me, Mukuro,” said Celeste. “I do not rely on simple guesswork or trickery. My clients come to me for results, and thus far, that is what they have gotten. Most fortune tellers don’t have nearly as high a success rate as myself. Good luck is, in itself, a kind of supernatural force, a blessing. It is a power beyond human understanding.” She paused. “And I hope that clears things up for the nay-sayers.”

I was speechless.

“If truth be told, a part of me is curious to find someone in this school whose luck can challenge my own. Perhaps the gambler? Or the Ultimate Lucky Student?” She hummed in satisfaction to herself. “Hmhmm. Well, if that is all you wish to ask, have a nice day, Mukuro. Thank you for the tea. If you wish to know your future, just remember that I am always here for you.” She smiled once more, the ruffles on her dress swishing and jewelry clinking as she rose to her feet.

Without another word, Celeste quietly disappeared.

—

“It’s awfully quiet today,” said Sayaka, looking around the dining hall from her seat at the big table.

“I know… It feels so empty,” said Makoto.

He’d chosen a seat across from her. Generally, we had no problems doing our own thing, but for breakfast we were still keeping up the practice of all sitting at the big table. It was easy to tell who was missing. Unsurprisingly, Byakuya was absent, but Toko had failed to show up after storming out of the library yesterday. And the other absence that was even more surprising than Toko—who’d always been a touch paranoid—was Hina.

“Naturally,” said Celeste from her end of the table, not looking up as she sipped her milk tea. “Two people are dead and three are abstaining.” She said it so casually.

“Well, I mean let’s be real, Byakuya is a lost cause,” said Junko. “So I don't know how much we oughtta worry about him. But what about Toko and Hina?” She looked across to me, and then to the others as if to ask them the same question.

There were some shrugs. Sayaka spoke.

“Um… Do you think we should go check on them?” she asked.

“Fuck that,” said Leon. “Toko gives me serious creep vibes, and Hina—”

Sayaka interrupted, ignoring him and continuing her train of thought. “Well, I’m gonna go see if they’re okay. Someone ought to."

They weren’t sitting next to each other like usual.

Hiro grimaced. “Ah, I don’t know ‘bout that. Hina's kinda... Maybe you should—”

Junko scoffed. “Seriously? Are you really following the lead of _Toko_ and _Byakuya_?”

Celeste shook her head. “Hiro, you have no spine.”

“That is factually incorrect!” said Taka. “It is clearly evident that Hiro has a spine!” When making a statement, he tended to point it out literally with his finger.

“What hell are talking about?” said Mondo. “Goddamn, you idiot, that’s not what she means!”

“Idiot?” gasped Taka. “You’re an idiot!”

“You—”

Before it would escalate any further, Junko interrupted. “Oh my god, cool it!” she groaned, rubbing her temples. “All Morticia is saying is that it might not be best idea to take social cues from the paranoid slut-shamer and the antisocial internet troll. Personally, I’m inclined to agree. Look, I’ll admit, I’m still a little,” she shifted uncomfortably, “ _peeved_ about what Toko said to me the other day, but,” she paused dramatically, “I’ll let it slide.”

“How very gracious, your majesty,” I said, rolling my eyes.

I felt a sharp pain in my ankle as she kicked me under the table. I winced, but remained silent.

“I still think we should check up on them,” said Sayaka. “Hina at least. Byakuya was pretty hard on her.”

“Well, sure, but that’s just him being his usual self, don’tcha think?” said Leon. “You don’t think he’d try anything, would he?” he asked, forced grin twitching like it usually did when he was visibly anxious. “I mean, that’s just crazytalk.”

“Nah, that guy is up to something,” said Mondo. “He’s acting super shady and shit. I don’t like it. We gotta do something about it! Tie him up or something!”

“Whoa, hey man, I wasn’t saying—”

I tuned them out, and instead noticed that Chihiro had gotten up to leave and was wiping at her eyes.

“Are you alright, Chihiro?” I asked.

Chihiro stopped when I called to her. She sniffed, standing there small and glum. “I’m fine. I’m just—never mind, it’s not important.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m just… going through something,” said Chihiro. “Byakuya said some things to me yesterday that kinda got to me. And I couldn’t even defend myself. Mondo had to step in, and even he said I was someone who couldn’t fight back. I… I’m so helpless and weak. I just don’t know if... I deserve to be here.”

“What?” cried Sayaka, astounded. She was by Chihiro’s side in an instant. “Of course, you deserve to be here!”

“I see,” said Taka. “So it is Mondo who has upset you.”

“ _Me?_ ” said Mondo. “What the hell did _I_ do?”

“Uh, hello? You made her feel bad!” said Junko, tapping her skull. When she got blank looks in return, she extrapolated. “You called her weak. That’s not cool.”

“Well, yeah! But I mean…” he floundered helplessly for words, “Girls are naturally weak, right? I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“‘Naturally weak’?” asked Kyoko sharply.

“Agh!” Mondo groaned, rubbing his forehead with one hand. “I didn’t mean—Fuck, forget it.”

Chihiro sniffed again, hiccuping and wiping the tears and snot with her cardigan sleeve.

“Augh…” Mondo approached her, shifting uncomfortably. Look,” he began, “don’t cry anymore, alright? I swear, I won’t yell at ya anymore. I’ll make you a promise as a man.”

Chihiro looked up at him. “Promise… as a man?”

“Yeah, I mean,” said Mondo, “Ever since I was a kid, my brother always told me that no matter what, a real man _always_ keeps his promises.” He sighed. “Anyway, I don’t wanna… go into it, it’s not something that’s easy for me to talk about. Just know you don’t gotta cry anymore.”

He offered her an encouraging smile, but there was something... morose about his demeanor. Or perhaps it had been the shakiness of the sigh, and how hard it had seemed for him to get the words out.

However, the words seemed to console her. Chihiro smiled at him in return. “Thank you, Mondo.”

He mumbled something, blushing slightly.

“Aw, babe, there’s that smile,” said Junko, and Chihiro giggled.

“Thank you, Mondo,” said Chihiro again, “that’s very good of you.”

Mondo looked away. “Don’t mention it.”

“You should come with us to go for a swim!” said Sayaka. “That’ll cheer you up for sure. Leon is coming. Aren’t you Leon?” It was much sharper than her usual tone as she looked over at him “In fact, a bunch of us are coming. The more the merrier, I say.”

“Hang on a sec,” said Leon, “when did we agree—”

“That sounds like a great idea!” interrupted Junko loudly, giving me a look.

I nodded. “ _Yes_ ,” I said equally as forcefully, meeting Junko’s eyes. “I agree. I will go with you.”

Chihiro hesitated. “Oh, I don’t know…”

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” said Sayaka.

“Oh, m—” said Chihiro.

“Maybe next time?” asked Sayaka, finishing her thought. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Chihiro beamed. “Thank you, everybody. I’m feeling much better now.”

—

“Mukuro, can I ask you a question?” asked Sayaka, brushing her wet hair back from her face and swimming near the edge of the pool where I was sitting.

I was wary. “Okay, shoot.”

Sayaka edged nearer to me, resting her arms on the pool deck and looking up at me with her big blue eyes.

“I don’t know, it's kind of a weird question…” Sayaka paused as if considering whether to really go through with it. Was she blushing? “Do you have a boyfriend?”

I blinked. “Do I _what?_ ”

She looked away. “See, I knew it was a silly question.”

“Oh, n-no, that wasn’t what I—” My face grew warm as I stammered for something to say. “I mean…”

“No, it was too personal, I understand. I just thought I’d ask. I… I was curious.”

“It’s no problem, don’t worry about it.”

“It was silly, of course someone as cool as you would have a boyfriend.”

_Cool?_

“Yeah, you’re so smart!” said Sayaka, as if she’d read my mind, and I flushed even deeper at the compliment. “Remember when we were sent to get Hina the other day? I haven’t forgotten our conversation. You know…” she mused, “it’s too bad we don’t talk much. We should fix that, Mukuro. You’re a good friend. We _are_ friends, right?”

“Of course!” I said, face still burning.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“And for the record,” I added. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I figured the psychic might be able to guess that.”

Sayaka giggled. “I guess, but I just thought I’d ask. Even if it is probably silly to be thinking about crushes at a time like this.” She glanced over at the group of our classmates sitting poolside together, smiling fondly. I followed her line of sight to see Junko chatting animatedly with Hina, Leon, and Makoto, who were listening along.

For a moment we didn’t speak, we just sat there together watching the others. Then, Sayaka shook her head. “I don’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve had close friends.”

“Does your modeling career keep you busy?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, it can be kind of lonely. I mean, yes, I get people clamouring to know me and be my friend, but I never feel like anyone really wants to _know_ me. Does that make any sense?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

I mean, I couldn’t relate, but I understood it enough. Nobody cared enough about me to pretend to be my friend. What would be the perks of being friends with a detective anyway? Special access to recently murdered corpses?

Her usual cheerful demeanor faltered for just a moment, but her frown was quickly replaced with her familiar chipper smile. Perhaps she felt my eyes on her. “Which of course means no boyfriend on my end of things either!” She shrugged. “I just don’t know if I’m at a point in my life where I can deal with that sort of thing. I imagine it’s the same for you? You must be busy—as the Ultimate Detective and all.”

I thought about it. “I... suppose.”

Anytime the subject was breached in conversation, I’d always made the same lame joke about being “married to my career”, but maybe she was right.

“But there has to be someone you’re interested in!” she prompted earnestly.

I clammed up. “I dunno.”

Talking about all this stuff was always alright in the abstract, but I wasn’t keen on going into details. Or perhaps lack of details. What prospects did I really have here? What prospects have I ever really had at all?

“Oh, come on, Mukuro! We’re friends, right?”

I grimaced. “What’s with the third degree? I thought investigating was my thing.”

“You did say I’d make a good assistant. Tell me, there has to be someone.”

“I… I guess,” I said, but that was all I was willing to relent. I didn’t say anything else. I wanted this conversation to be over.

I was a moment before I realized Sayaka was staring intently at me. “So… aren’t you going to ask _me?_ ” Her blue eyes were piercing, voice low.

“I… what?” I asked, mesmerized. Even after swimming, hair dripping and face bare of any makeup, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

“Ask me if there’s someone I’m interested in.”

My ears were burning. “R-right.”

“That’s how it works, right?” asked Sayaka. “You’re supposed to tell each other these kinds of things? I—I’ve never really had girl friends my own age before.”

Before I could say any more, we were interrupted by the sound of a screech and a loud splash. Turning to see what had caused the commotion, it soon became clear to both of us that Junko was the one screaming, for Hina and Leon had just pushed her into the pool.

“I’m going to kill you!” shrieked Junko indignantly, to which they only laughed.

Makoto, who had escaped torment from the other two, stifled a laugh behind his hand, but said, “Uh, guys, that’s not very—”

“Shut up, Makoto!” said Junko. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see this coming! You’re an accessory to the crime.” She grumbled something under her breath before calling out to me. “Ugh! Mukuro! ‘Kuro, help me out, will you? Get me a towel or something, I’m totally drenched.”

“I… I’d better help her out,” I murmured to Sayaka.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” she said, backing off a bit and treading water.

“Mukuro!” called Junko again. “Mukuro!”

“That’s my cue.” I sighed.

Junko shrieked again as she proceeded to get splashed once more. “Cut it out! Mukuro, get over here!”

I chuckled. I couldn’t help it. “Sure thing, sis.” I stood up, quickly scurrying off to grab a towel from the stack sitting on the nearby bleachers and handing it to her.

Junko was too busy bemoaning her poor lot in life, and the others were too busy laughing, that I hadn’t noticed Sayaka approach me. I hadn’t even realized she’d climbed out of the pool.

“The answer is yes, by the way.”

“What?” I asked.

She was drying her hair with the towel, not looking at me, but she couldn’t have been speaking to anyone else. “Yes. To answer the question you didn’t ask,” she clarified, although I was still a little mystified. “There is someone.” Once again, she looked over at the group of students. Hina waved her over, Leon flashed a cheesy grin, Makoto flushed a light shade of pink. Sayaka then looked back to me. “It’s probably silly to think about that sort of thing, considering our predicament.”

I was still watching the others. They looked so happy and carefree—a moment of levity in a dreadful situation.

“It’s not silly to have feelings.”

“Thank you. You are always so kind, Mukuro.”

“Not as kind as you,” I murmured. Sayaka was always the first to rush to someone’s side, or provide a word of comfort. It was amazing. She was so pure of intention. When she looked as though she were about to protest, I added, “It’s true. Everyone loves you. You—you stuck up for Hina when everyone else wanted to turn her away. You got her to come here, cheered her up. That was all you.”

“Oh, stop it,” said Sayaka, shaking her head, but she blushed happily with a small smile on her delicate lips. She looked to me again. “Mukuro?”

“Yes?” I asked, and our eyes met.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked, voice now surprisingly earnest.

“You just did.”

“Okay, but really.” 

I paused. “Of course. Anything.”

“This someone I’m interested in. Should I tell this person that I have feelings for them?”

I felt a lump in my throat. “What? I—”

“I thought it might be silly to mention it, but you saying otherwise—your words have really given me strength! I know now might not be the right time, but what the hell is the right time, anyway? It might be the only time I get the chance! What with life here...”

“I see.”

“I mean, if you care about someone, you should let them know any way you can, right?”

“Yeah… I—yeah. You should go for it. I’m... happy for you.”

“You are so sweet!”

“But why are you asking me? I… don’t matter.”

“Because I trust you! You’re a really good friend.”

“I see. Is that what you think?”

“Of course that’s what I think! But what do _you_ think?” Sayaka looked at me expectantly. “I… I don’t want to embarrass myself… What if I get rejected?”

“I… think that whoever it is… would be lucky to have you. I mean, everyone loves you. Who wouldn’t want y—I mean, I’m sure they feel the same way.”

It was the truth.

She beamed. “Oh, my goodness, you are so sweet I can practically feel the toothache coming in.”

“You don’t have to keep saying it...”

Sayaka pulled me into a slightly damp hug. “But I do! Thank you so much!” Letting go of me, she looked me up and down, letting out an embarrassed laugh and tucking her hair behind her ear. “Sorry about that.”

“S’fine,” I mumbled, my hand covering my mouth.

“Thank you so much, Mukuro, for helping me make up my mind. I owe you.”

“Of course. You and… and Leon would be great together.”

“Leon?” She laughed. Loudly. “You think I have feelings for—for Leon?”

I blinked. “But I thought—”

“Oh, Mukuro, you must have quite the imagination!” said Sayaka. Which was odd, because they I didn’t find it so wild of a conclusion. They really did seem thick as thieves. “It’s… not Leon.” She said, not looking at me. “Definitely not.”

I shot her a quizzical look.

“Leon has been very nice,” she added. “But we’re just friends. He’s... a good friend. But he—”

Sayaka glanced other at him, and I followed her line of sight. He was still chatting with Junko who to my surprise didn’t look completely bothered at all. He must’ve made a joke because she laughed, giving him a playful shove. The kind a girl does when she wants to casually touch someone. I didn’t know much about flirting, but I knew that much.

Sayaka cleared her throat, quickly looking away before the two of them could spot us. She continued, “Yeah. He’s uh… He’s great, but. But I… I don’t know if we’re a good idea. I value his friendship too much to...”

It was almost too small to notice, but when Sayaka was upset she would develop a little crinkle between her eyebrows, and a small line on the bridge of her nose, almost like a little frown. She was smiling, as usual, but it was the little details that gave her away.

_Well, it if wasn’t Leon, then who—_

“It’s… Makoto.” she said, as if she could read my thoughts. “Of course.”

“M-Makoto?”

“Yes! I’ll admit, I thought he was kind of a pushover at first, but I’ve been starting to see him in a whole new light! We’ve been spending more time together. He’s so kind. He always checks on me to see how I’m doing.”

“Yes, Makoto is a very thoughtful person…” I said, but my voice was hollow.

“He is,” she said with a sigh. “And I feel like he really sees me as a person, you know? Not an object. I—that’s never really happened to me before.”

Her smile was fond. Looking over again, Makoto was grabbing a towel for Junko. He really was very sweet.

I didn’t know what to say. “I—I, um...”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“But you were going to, right?”

I shook my head, ignoring her usual creepy intuition thing. “I—I don’t know. It’s just… unexpected. It’s nothing. I guess—I just. You and Makoto.” I fidgeted around, wringing my hands before looking back up at her again. The words tumbled out in a rush. “Do you really think you guys would be good together?”

She frowned. “I don’t understand. You were being so supportive a second ago, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing! I just think… Makoto is a very nice boy, but he’s nice to everyone. And he’s way too nice to lead a girl on…”

“Well, yeah. But we were talking the other day, and he gave me these beautiful cherry blossoms as a gift. Flowers are a romantic gesture, right?”

As the realization sunk in, I nodded, trying not to let my voice give my feelings away. “Right,” I said, but it was hoarse. She was right. What else could it have possibly meant?

“Thanks again, Mukuro. You’re a really good friend, you know that?” She was surprisingly serene. “I need you by my side. I… I know I can count on you. Because that’s just a crush, I don’t expect it to turn into anything serious. What’s most important is getting out of here. That’s my number one priority. But… I’m still chasing what I want. It’s just who I am, it’s what I’ve always done.”

I didn’t answer.

“Sayaka!” called Hina. “Jump in!”

“But I’m already drying off!” pouted Sayaka, but it was said through a laugh. It was amazing how quickly she could change her tune. It was like a mask. With more persistence from the others, she relented. “Oh, alright,” she said, dropping her towel. I looked away, but she must’ve jumped back in because I heard the big splash.

Hina shrieked with laughter at the water sprayed everywhere. Sayaka emerged, and the two of them swam off.

But Sayaka and Makoto? That was ridiculous. They were entirely wrong for each other. But… Sayaka was good and sweet and…. Beautiful.

And he’d given her flowers.

I thought I was good at reading people, but maybe I was just entirely clueless.

In the middle distance, the others were involved in some sort of splash fight. I watched the amusing spectacle until Sayaka lurked over to me again.

“Come here.” She beckoned me in with her finger.

“I am here.”

“Closer. Lean in, I have something I want to tell you.”

I shook my head. “Oh, no you don't. I’m not falling for that.”

She batted her lashes. “I promise I won't dunk you.”

I rolled my eyes, crouching low so that was were nearly face to face. “Alright,” I said, “what is—”

She lunged her arms around my neck, dragging me in, and I didn't even have time to react before I felt the lurch forward, and I hit the water with a loud splash.

I broke the surface, gasping for air and coughing. “I knew it!”

She smiled innocently like some sort of ingenue. I elbowed her, splashing her just a little. I wasn't really all that angry, but I felt the need to fight back, just to assert myself.

“The ‘drenched in chlorine-water’ vibe is a good look for you,” she said, appraising me.

“Shut up.”

—

I was wasting time in my room when I heard my doorbell ring.

Curious, I sat up from my bed, hurrying over to the door. I really had no plans for the afternoon, so I was welcome for a disruption. I opened the door. Without invitation, Toko forced herself past me and into my room. I watched her in silent disbelief, hoping for some sort of explanation. I didn’t receive one; rather she stood there, anxiously carding her fingers through her braids.

“Um… Can I help you?” I asked.

“Quit l-looking at—at me like that,” said Toko, scowling at me before averting her eyes again.

“I’m looking at you?”

“Are you joking? I know you don’t want me to be here, I c-can s-see it in-—see it in your eyes.” She took a deep breath. “Whatever, I j-just… I need you to do me a—a f-favor and then I’ll stop bothering you and be out of your sight.”

“Oh, you’re not bothering me,” I said on instinct, and I was struck with memories of the previous day when she’d left the library in tears. After that, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings. Besides, she was hardly being bothersome. I didn’t have much to do in the realm of entertainment. “I’m just surprised you’re here. What’s going on?”

“C-can you come somewhere with me?”

“Um, sure?” It came out like a question. “Where?”

“The library.”

_Okay._

“Hm? But you said none of the books were to your taste,” I said.

Her eyes went wide. “You r-remem-remember that?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized me. I couldn’t tell if she was suspicious or flattered.

“Well,” I said, not wanting to prolong the awkward silence, “if you want to go, let’s go.”

“Huh?” asked Toko, possibly surprised at my cooperation. “Ok, hurry, let’s go.” She was oddly insistent as we made for the door. Before leaving she turned to me. “But you h-have to—to keep—to keep this a s-secret, ok?”

I sighed. “Sure.”

The walk had just involved more awkward silence, but we crept into the library, Toko shushing me to keep quiet. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the library seemed even more poorly lit than usual. The dim lighting made it hard to see the surroundings, but Byakuya was sitting at his usual desk. To my surprise, he wasn’t the only one in the library.

“Chihiro?” I asked. “What’re you doing here?” I approached the desk where she was sitting.

“Mukuro!” Toko hissed at me, but I ignored her. I realized we were supposed to keep operation under wraps, but I didn’t see any problem with saying hello to the people who were already here.

“Huh?” Chihiro looked up and upon spotting me, snapped shut whatever she was reading—not a book, but what looked like a folder. “Oh, uh… I’m just doing some light reading.”

“Uh-huh.” I nodded skeptically, but didn’t challenge her.

“So,” said Chihiro, and I didn’t miss that as she spoke her eyes kept darting around the room. “What brings you and Toko to the library?”

I looked to Toko and then back to Chihiro. “I’m, um… not sure, actually.”

Toko was not paying attention. Instead, she was watching Byakuya with unusual attention. I shot Chihiro a questioning look, but still followed Toko’s example. I was intrigued as to where this was headed. The two of us crouched behind one of the bookshelves, getting a good look at him.

“There he is!” said Toko in hushed whispers. I’d never heard this giddiness in her tone before then. She nudged me forward. “He’s here. Go talk to him.”

“What?”

“G-go talk to him!”

“Why would I do that?” I asked.

“W-well, I can’t do it! Come on, j-just, say something!”

Byakuya looked up at us, annoyed expression on his face. “What are you doing here? Leave. the last thing I need is more people here to bother me.” As he said this, his eyes darted over to Chihiro.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“I believe I told you to leave.” He nodded to Toko. “And take her with you. I can’t afford to be bothered by the likes of you.”

“Alright then,” I said. I looked to Toko. “Let’s go.”

She hesitated. “Byakuya?”

“What?”

“Remember how you said ‘Don’t be a woman who dominates w-weak men, be a woman dominated by a s-strong man’?” asked Toko, and to my surprise she was smiling and giggling. She kept her eyes averted, tapping her little index fingers together. She was blushing.

“I never said that,” he said shortly.

“W-Well, actually, I read it somewhere, and I just thought it sounded like something you _might_ say…” said Toko. “It’s from—”

Byakuya bristled. “I don’t care where it’s from. Get out. And go take a bath, you reek.”

It was then that I knew I wanted to get her out.

“Wh—” began Toko, but she was cut off.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Go.” He waved her away. “Before your stench overwhelms the room.”

I’d had enough. “Let’s go.” I took her by the hand, leading her into the hall. She did not resist.

Once outside, Toko began to shake her head, muttering incoherent babble to herself. She was shaking, face ashen and glasses askew.

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I reached out a hand to comfort, but I hesitated to touch her. “Uh… Never mind him,” I said. It was all I could think so say. “He’s just being his usual irritable self.”

“I—I can’t believe he w-would—he would say that…” said Toko.

“I’m sorry,” was all I could think to say.

“He… he must really care about me!” she squealed, completely changing her mood. She was blushing, all sweaty and hands clasped together, eyes far away.

_What?_

“He told me t-to take a bath and everything!” responded Toko. “He must really care a-about my—my well-being!”

I hadn’t even realized I must’ve spoken aloud.

I’d never seen her so elated. She was smiling, actually smiling. On the one hand, I was relieved to know that she was not upset. On the other hand, the uneasy feeling in my stomach from the day prior had returned. Once again, it was for reasons I could not place, I just knew something was off. I didn’t know what to say.

“M-Mukuro, what do you think? Would w-we make a g-g-good—a good couple?”

I blinked. “Who?”

“Byakuya and I, of course!”

“Oh, um… Right. You and Byakuya. I… I don’t know about that…” However, not only was I unsure, I was also uneasy. I wanted to dissuade her, but I had no idea how to go about it.

I didn’t know why I was so invested in this whole ordeal, but I just… I didn’t want to make her cry again.

Is this really what love was supposed to be? Admittedly, I’d spent many years far too absorbed in my work to really know, but I imagined it should be better than this. He’d been so… so nasty to her.

I’d been wrong about Sayaka. Was I making the same mistake with Toko? I knew I was inexperienced, but maybe I really didn’t know anything about love.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to understand!” said Toko, bursting my inner thoughts. “He’s my prince! Nothing can s-stand between our love! I know exactly how this will go! It's how all good stories go! ” She sighed dreamily, taking my hands in hers and grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, Mukuro. Maybe some day y-you will understand love. Maybe. S-someday. If only y-you could be so lucky!”

I managed a chuckle, despite the lump in my throat. “Yeah, someday.”

Without so much as a goodbye, she sauntered away happily, still in a state of euphoria.

“Well, well, well, wasn’t that something!”

A familiar high pitched squeaky voice rang behind me.

I whirled around.

Monokuma grinned, fanning himself. “Ah, young love! To be so intertwined in such drama, Mukuro! This must all be so riveting for you! But eager passion can also be scary! Sometimes it can lead people off in the wrong direction!” And on that ominous note, he disappeared behind one of the many columns in the hallway.

I stood outside the library alone.

“Please, be careful…” I said to her, my voice faint, despite the fact that Toko was long gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially I was very very set on making sure the tone was similar to the game, particularly involving the romantic relationships. Specifically, the fact that all the romance is mostly just implied, it never gets very serious which... is similar to what I'm going for, but I also decided to write what makes me happy so also. My fic my rules. I hope y'all like melodramatic semi-relationship bs.
> 
> Nobody is going to "date". There's murder going on here! This is not the place for dating! However, teenagers have feelings, so of course those feelings are going to be involved in the story.
> 
> Please don't forget to let me know which characters you want to see more of! Feedback helps me know which free time events to do for next chapter!
> 
> Also just. General feedback. I really like dialogue-heavy writing, and feel confident in my abilities, but when it comes to introspection & setting I fully admit those are possible weak points.
> 
> Hummus. Thoughts?


	9. Chapter 2.3: Two Bros Chilling in a Sauna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had finals! I'm sorry! Thank you for being patient! (I'm gonna be completely honest, i'm sure there are still typos but this update came way later than I wanted so this is probably not in top shape but i've accepted it)
> 
> Also! I've updated chapter....... 1.2? Yeah, 1.2, to give Hifumi some characterization before like... getting *oofed*. It's pretty short, you can reread if you want. It doesn't change the current plot.

“—No, no, no, those conspiracy theories are  _so_ pedestrian. I mean, assuming all architecture from ancient civilizations was secretly built by aliens? Gimme a break. It’s all just a bunch of occult bullcrap.”

“Is that so?” I asked Hiro in a mixture of amusement and genuine curiosity. I didn’t exactly follow his line of logic. The occult seemed like his exact wheelhouse, so of course I had to know more.

What could I say? As a detective, curiosity was my achilles heel.

“Hell, yeah!” said Hiro. “They can’t pull the wool over these eyes.” He made the “I’m watching you” gesture with his hand. “Besides, you can’t just recite the same old tired crap over and over again. You gotta think bigger, yeah?”

“Oh, absolutely.” I did my best to nod in earnest, but it wasn’t easy. I suppressed a laugh, but a small smile slipped through, my lips a thin line as I fought back the urge.

“Faking the moon landing? Pedestrian. Hiring Stanley Kubrick to fake the moon landing, but Kubrick being such a perfectionist that he made them shoot it on location? Eh, okay, but still could use some imagination.”

“How about this,” I suggested, “‘We actually are living on the moon... but are brainwashed to think we’re still on Earth’?”

He laughed jovially, loud and raucous and with his entire body. “Now we’re talking!”

I was humoring him, just a little. I loved spending time with Hiro. Everything he said was absolute nonsense, but that was the charm. I really couldn’t help but be entertained. Maybe that was the real reason I enjoyed myself, like the way someone enjoys a bad movie. Or maybe it was more like a mystery novel? In the sense that you just never knew what he was going to say next. Hearing him talk just filled me with such a unexplained glee. I could practically see the cogs turning in his head. He just had endless gems. The gift that kept on giving. And that wasn’t even touching on the absolute conviction in his delivery.

The best part was that I was absolutely sure that the things Hiro said meant nothing to him. But they meant _everything_ to me.

I was too distracted by my own musings to notice when Hiro pulled out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them.

“Where do you keep those?” I asked him.

“In my coat pocket, man. I never go anywhere without my deck.” Hiro said all this while performing all those fancy shuffles, the kind I had no idea how to pull off. The cards seemed to practically fly. “I’m down for anything: shogi, othello, poker. Hell, mahjong then drinks and call it a day—an afternoon of that and we’re friends for life. But you can’t just carry around a giant case full o’ tiles, yeah? Cards are just a classic. Never know when anyone might be down for a game! Plus, I’ve been trying my hand at readings, so we could give that a shot.”

“You mean cartomancy?” I asked.

“Yeah!”

I nodded, hoping to convey just how absolutely invested I was in the... the _everything_ he was saying. “I see.”

He had a mischievous grin on his face, cards flying between his fingers. “You ever played a game of 52 pickup?”

_“Oh my god.”_

I turned at the sound of a familiar voice dripping with disdain. Junko was approaching our table, rolling her eyes and giving us a look.

“Hello, sis,” I said, offering her a smile.

Junko ignored me. “Not that old trick again.” She looked to me, “Look, ‘Kuro, don’t fall for that bullshit. 52 pickup? Come on, Hiro.”

I shot him a confused look, and he chuckled nervously.

Junko pulled up a chair, giving it a spin and plopping herself down so that the back was facing front. The position didn’t look comfortable, but it must’ve been for her because she made herself right at home. As usual, she had no trouble inserting herself into the conversation. “By the way, Hiro, Celeste told me to tell you that she wants some milk tea, and she doesn't want to leave her room, so you should really go make some.”

“Huh? Why me?”

“Beats me,” she said. “But she sounded pretty insistent.”

He scowled. “No way! Tell her to make it herself!”

“You go tell her!” snapped Junko.

Something about their attitudes made them sound like bickering children.

“Alright, whatever!” said Hiro, getting up from his chair and heading out the door and to the dorms. “If it’ll get you off my back.”

She waved him off, feigning a smile. Quickly turning to me once he was out out earshot, she swung her chair around, sitting down properly with perfect coordination as the chair landed with a resounding _clunk_. In a hushed voice she said, “Okay, perfect! Now that we’ve got the walking palm tree out of the way, let’s split ‘cause I am so not into the idea of hearing him go on about faking the moon landing for another three hours.”

“What? No!” I said. “This was just getting good.”

She gave me a dubious look. “You’re joking, right? You can’t be serious.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Junko sighed. “‘Kuro, you’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t tell me you take anything that nutcase says seriously?” Her tone was incredulous.

“Of course not.”

“Then ditch the dude and come with your _way_ cooler little sister.” Junko took my by the hands, laying it on thick in her attempt to be as persuasive as possible. She put on her best cutesy voice, doe eyes wide and pleading. “ _Pwease_?”

“Oh god.” _What a little shit._ I rolled my eyes, but it was still pretty funny. “Don't you play the little sister card,” I chided her. “Hiro is my friend, too.”

“Come on! It’ll be fun! Today, I’m going to introduce you to contouring.”

I frowned. “But what if he comes back?”

I didn’t want to abandon Hiro, but truth be told that was only part of it. Something about the mention of makeup once more was like an instant deterrent. Sure, the results were pretty, but at what cost?

“Oh my god, who cares!” said Junko, throwing her hands in the air. I could tell she seemed genuinely aggravated. “You are such a stick in the mud.” She pouted.

“Junko, I said _no_.” My voice was firm.

She glowered, not meeting my eyes and instead staring stubbornly down at the floor as she crossed her arms.

I softened, regretting my tone almost instantly and relenting just a bit. “Look… Can’t it just wait? I—”

“Yeah, yeah, you already have plans. Got it.” Her tone was short. She sunk back into her chair, leaning away from me. Muttering so quiet that I was sure it wasn’t meant for me, she added, “I hope he gets lost in this fucking school and never comes back.”

“I’m sorry, _what_?” I said. I knew the words weren't meant for me, but I was too shocked and disappointed in her to care.

“Ok, ok, not really,” she grumbled. But in an even lower voice she added, “I didn't mean for, like, forever, but just for a little while.”

“ _Junko_ ,” I warned.

She bounced up and down in her seat. “Come on, ‘Kuro, learn to take a joke!”

I ignored this. “Junko, I can’t just ditch,” I said, trying to reason with her. “I told him I’d let him do a reading.”

“You’re making me all depressed just saying that,” she said, getting all moody and melancholy, temperament shifting again as she sullenly carded through her long hair. She sighed again, getting over herself. “He’s not here. Come _ooooonnn_ ,” she whined. “I go through all this effort to get rid of him, you can’t play me like this. We hardly saw each other at all the other day because you were being dragged around by Specs. At breakfast I saw you talking with Sayaka, and you’ve been hanging with Shaggy a _lot_. I feel like I never get to see you.”

“We see each other all the time. You know I’d love to, but I already made an obligation. Otherwise I’d be there in a heartbeat.”

“Fine,” said Junko. She turned away dramatically. “I guess I’ll just taste the bitter abandonment alone.”

“Come on, sis, don’t be like that—”

“No, I see, I know when I’ve been tossed asunder, left to wither away in the cold.” She was still putting on a wounded voice.

God, she was such a primadonna.

“Junko.”

To my surprise, her eyes started welling up, and her voice got choked up. “W-We used to hang out all the time, and n-now we—we never hang out. And you never want to see me b-because you’re always—always with those other _losers_ ,” she wailed, but even through her meltdown she managed to get a good deal amount of scorn into the insult. She began to ramble, gesturing vaguely with her hands, words somehow managing to form into something coherent between her high-pitched blubbering. “And I—I thought it might’ve been because I got—I got mad at you the other day, and so I figured I’d done something wrong, and you were upset with me because you’re always sooooo busy now, and-and-and I haven’t even seen you since the pool party, and—”

“Junko, I—I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were this upset,” I said. I felt a pang in my chest. Seeing her like this caused me physical pain. I… I had no idea she would get this upset.

“No it’s—” she said through gasps of air as she fanned herself. Even then she couldn't completely give up her dramatics. “It’s fine, I’ll just go and—”

“No! I’ll—I’ll make it up to you,” I said. I could fix this. I was her big sister. It was my job to fix this. “After dinner. Contouring. For sure. We can make it like… a thing. Like a sleepover or something.”

She sniffed, but was unable to manage her nose and mascara running everywhere. “Promise?” For once, she looked a real mess.

“Promise.”

Our moment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps and deep booming voices so loud they came from outside the dining hall.

“You wanna fuckin’ say that again?”

“Very well, I will! I—”

The two men paused, spotting us at the same time we turned to see who had just entered the cafeteria.

“Ah! Junko and Mukuro! Most excellent we should run into you at a time like this!”

Junko groaned. “Hello, Taka,” she said in a way that made it sound like pure obligation, letting her voice droll unenthusiastically. Realizing the state she was in, she sniffed, dabbing at her eyes a bit and turning away to avoid looking at them.

“Junko! You look positively awful! Are you quite alright?” asked Taka.

She glared at him. “Peachy keen.”

Before Taka could respond, Mondo cut in. “Hey! Junko, detective chick,” he said. “Help us settle this, would ya?”

_Detective chick?_

“What is it?” asked Junko, and surely any other two people would have withered under her icy glare, but not these two.

_Why did Junko get a name and I was just “detective chick”?_

I was still hung up on it and ended up nearly missing their response, something Taka said about just settling a dispute?

“Awww, are you guys having a little domestic? Caught up in a little lover’s quarrel?” said Junko to the two boys, cooing sarcastically. “As much as I’d love to get in the middle of all _that_ ,” she said, gesturing between them and getting to her feet. However, her tone gave off the impression that she was less than enthused. “I just realized, I’m busy.”

“Busy?” I asked her. “With _what_?”

_Just a second ago she’d been begging me to be her test subject, and now she was leaving me to fend for myself?_

“Yeah, busy wanting to be anywhere but here,” said Junko, grinning back to me on her way out the door and leaving me with only a taunting wave.

I grit my teeth, but remained dutifully in my seat. This must have been my punishment for choosing Hiro over her. I would endure it.

Taka was bright red. “What does she—Mukuro, your sister h—has misconstrued the point entirely! To call this a ‘domestic’ is to imply a long-standing and committed romantic relationship and… and… To even imply—I!” He cleared his throat, shake his head. “And we are not fighting! We are merely having a…” A pause to consider his words. “Spirited debate!”

Mondo shook his head. “Call it what you like, don’t make me act like I give a fuck.”

“Fine! Mukuro, do us a favor and help us settle this score!” said Taka.

Just the speed of the conversation was making me feel dizzy. My head was spinning. “Alright, alright. Spill.”

“Look, I dunno what the hell I did, but this guy will not get off my case!” said Mondo. “Calling me a coward and shit since day one,” he said.

“But I thought…” I began, my sentence trailing off.

 _Huh_.

They’d seemed to be getting on pretty well when we’d first been introduced. I’d imagine there must’ve been some relief to find someone you’d previously recognized. It’d certainly be comforting in as unfamiliar an environment as this.

Had I failed to notice this rift in their relationship? I thought I was a people person. Maybe I was losing my touch.

Mondo ignored my absent-minded comments and instead said to Taka, “Man, who the fuck do you think you are? You think I’m a coward?”

“You _are_ a coward!” said Taka, brow furrowing so deep that his perpetual scowl looked even more severe than usual. “Always resorting to violence! Thinking it will solve all your problems! I—You are better than this, Mondo!”

“Better than—” For just a moment, he was disarmed, but he recovered with twice the anger—and twice the volume. “Th’fuck you mean, I’m better than this?” said Mondo. “You don’t know me, man!”

“I know plenty!” said Taka, voice raising first to match and then to outdo Mondo’s. “You’ve changed, Mondo! And if you had enough self-respect you’d clean up your act! It’s clear from your lack of self-control and the way you… you glorify gangsters that you… You’re not the man I thought you were!”

_Glorify gangsters?_

I assumed Taka must’ve gotten that impression from his hair. It was the only thing that really made sense. That sort of style—showy, obstructive, full of gel—would have surely been totally impractical and out of place in a traditional dojo, but it… almost might’ve made sense in the counterculture scene of delinquents. Almost.

“The hell are you saying?” said Mondo. “You sayin’ I’m not a man? I’m more of a man than you! The fuck does a kid like you know about being a man? What’s a kid like you know about anything?”

“I am certain I’m more of a man than you!” said Taka. “I expected much more from the Ultimate Martial Artist! You have a gift, and it’s being completely squandered! Fighters ought to be disciplined, and yet as is usual with geniuses, you’ve gone completely unchecked! Here you are, more reckless than you’ve ever been!”

“That’s real rich,” said Mondo, practically spitting the words out. “Tryna tell me what a fighter is. You dunno know shit about me—or about being a real fighter. You think you’re a real man? Is that what a real man is? A fuckin’ brown-noser with some sort of fucked up fetish for authority? Quit being so pathetic, you think you’re so big and bad, huh? Man, I can’t believe I used to think you were kinda cool, but whatever I saw—either it’s long gone, or I must’ve been out of my goddamn mind. You think you’re tougher than me? Well then, prove it!”

“I accept your challenge!” said Taka, standing his ground as Mondo practically bellowed in his face.

Say anything else, but the kid definitely had guts. Not just anyone could withstand the heat once Mondo zeroed in on them. Even fewer people would intentionally challenge him.

Either he was very brave or very foolish.

Mondo cracked his knuckles, impish smile on his face. “Perfect,” he said. “Let’s throw down, see if you’ve still got it.”

“Excellent,” said Taka.

“Y’all aren't gonna go all 12 rounds right here in the cafeteria?” I asked, exasperated. “Because at the very least you should let me turn around so I have plausible deniability.” And that sounded a little too much like Junko, so I added for good measure, “But seriously, don’t fight. Is there any way we can’t solve this in a more… constructive manner?”

Taka hesitated. “Perhaps Mukuro has a point. Violence would certainly reflect poorly on us. We can solve this matter… through competition of other means!”

I rubbed my forehead, letting out a deep sigh. “Fine. But you’re being supervised. If this gets out of hand I’d at least rather have it happen under the comfort of my own watch,” I said, hating the fact that I sounded exactly like a cool mom. My ears were still ringing from all the yelling.

“Fine,” grumbled Mondo. “We need a witness anyway.” He gestured to the door with his thumb. “Across the way, there’s a sauna. Follow what I’m sayin’?”

Taka nodded. “An endurance contest!”

“‘Xactly.”

“A most excellent choice! So whoever stays in the sauna the longest wins.” Taka considered it for the briefest of moments before adding, “I accept these terms!”

I groaned.

—

“For the last time, are you guys sure you wanna go through with this?” I asked as we made our way to the bathhouse across the hall.

“Positive!” said Taka.

I was dragging my heels, just a bit. While I’d warmed considerably to the both of them during our stay, I was still hesitant to get mixed up in this sort of mess. All the same, I’d be damned to let them go off on their own and hurt each other, or… or worse.

“Excuse me?”

I turned at the voice, and to my surprise Makoto was exiting the dorms and heading toward us.

“Hello, Makoto,” I said.

“What on earth is—” he began, bewildered look on his face but Taka interrupted.

“Makoto! Most excellent that we would run into you at a time like this!”

“A time like...” For a moment, he looked absolutely bewildered, but he shook his head. “Never mind it. Mukuro, I wanted to talk—”

“Well then,” I said, and he was close enough to us by then that I quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. “Come. You can walk and talk.”

“Oh!” He didn’t resist. “A-Alright then.” A little quieter, he leaned in and added, “What am I getting roped into?”

“Consider it a... surprise. If I’m going down, I’m taking somebody with me.”

“How unfortunate,” he said, but he was smiling nonetheless as he allowed himself to be dragged along.

I didn’t really know what I was doing. I never behaved like this. Perhaps I was emboldened; like I’d said, if I was going down I was taking someone with me. But my behavior, my level of impulsiveness, reminded me much more of Junko than myself in those moments.

It really wasn’t that exciting. Perhaps I really was just boring.

Once in the bath house, I explained to him, “It’s an endurance contest. Mondo and Taka are going to see who can last the longest in the sauna.”

“What?” asked Makoto, astonished. “What are you—what is—why are dragging me into this?” He was simultaneously worried and indignant.

“Who can be a better mediator than the moral compass himself,” I said. In hushed tones, I added, “ _Or_ … you can try and stop them.” I gave him a pointed look at the two boys who were still arguing.

“Wha—why me?” asked Makoto.

“Because I won’t,” I said flatly.

Makoto looked apprehensive. “Guys, is this even safe?”

I grinned. “That’s why we have you. You’re ref now.”

I’d never seen him look more wary. “I don’t know if this is—”

“Nonsense!” interrupted Taka. “It will be over in a matter of minutes!”

“So sure of yourself, huh?” asked Mondo. “We’ll see if you’re all talk.”

“I still don’t feel so good about this,” said Makoto.

“Look, dude,” said Mondo. “Don’t try to talk us out of this, alright? We’re going through with this.”

Makoto sighed.

Upon standing there a minute in uncomfortable near-silence, Taka exclaimed, “Mukuro! I have come to a realization!”

“Oh?” I asked.

“You are a girl, so I—I do not think you can be our supervisor!”

“Okay…” I said, not really following. I waited for his explanation.

“I—I…” He appeared to be struggling, finally blurting out, “I think it would be inappropriate for a girl to see us in a state of undress!”

“The chick investigates dead bodies,” grumbled Mondo. “And that’s what you’re fuckin’ worried about?”

“I… I realize this,” said Taka. “I just… don’t think it would be right!”

“Hey, if you want me gone,” I said, holding up my hands in resignation.

While I’d been committed earlier to seeing this through, I was okay with taking a leave as long as _someone_ was keeping an eye on them. I still found Taka’s logic to be nonsensical, but, really, that was my get-out-of-jail-free card. Who was I to argue?

I tried not to look too thrilled, probably failing. “Makoto, you’re babysitter now, right? Be safe, guys. I’ll be out.” I shot him a peace sign and a cheesy grin and was about to head for the door.

“Hold on a sec’!” Makoto’s voice rang out.

“Hm?” I glanced at him.

“Won’t you stay?” asked Makoto, giving me a pleading look with those big puppy-dog eyes.

_Damn it._

I paused, feigning taking a moment to think it over. “Oh, alright then.”

“Fine, then let’s make this interesting,” said Mondo. “Taka, if you’re so goddamn worried, how about we battle _with all our clothes on?”_

Taka gasped. “That’s—that’s idiotic! Suicidal!”

“You afraid?” Mondo cracked his knuckles.

“I-I’m with Taka, here,” said Makoto. “This seems a bit dangerous. Not everything has to be a competition.”

“YES, IT DOES!” the boys bellowed back at the same time.

For a moment I was wondering if maybe Taka would back down, but if there way any hope of that it was gone.

—

“How are they looking?” I asked, my back turned away from the door.

“Well,” said Makoto, peeking through the window in the sauna door, “they are certainly… in there.”

I snorted. “Okay?”

“Uh, guys?” asked Makoto. “You good in there?”

They ignored him, too into their competition to be distracted.

Makoto looked to me. “They seem okay. So far.”’

“Relax,” I said. “It’ll work itself out. They’re just being dramatic, it’ll be over soon.”

He frowned. “I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, you saw how they tend to get carried away when they push themselves.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I paused, a thought striking me. “Hey, Makoto?” I asked. “About earlier. Were you going to ask me something?”

“Huh? Oh!” He shook his head, scratching his already wild hair. “Right, well now it just seems silly.”

“Come on,” I said. “We’re in a bathhouse together, babysitting these two sweaty dumbbells while they try to prove their masculinity. I think we’re already at the height of silly.”

He blushed. “R-right. Bathhouse. Together.”

I shrugged.

“Well,” he said, “I didn’t have anything in particular I wanted to ask. I suppose.... I just had an impulse.”

“Impulse?”

“Yeah, I just knew I wanted to… It’s been a bit. I… I like spending time with you.”

I was touched.

“No one’s ever said that to me before.”

He was shocked. “Really?” he asked, his mouth agape.

“Yes. I work a lot. Don’t get much free time to just, uh… hang out, I guess?” I hesitated. “Well… I _used_ to work a lot.”

He shrugged. “At least you have something to go back to.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him warily.

“I mean,” said Makoto, “Mukuro! You have an amazing talent!”

I flushed red at this, my face growing hot.

He continued. “I’m sure once we… once we get out of here the world is going to open up to you! I’m sure you’re going to get all the success you deserve. I… I’m a fluke.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“We… I know we’re stuck here like this, but. If I’m right, all of us—we’re the 78th. This was going to be our year at Hope’s Peak. And… to see all this passion and talent from you guys. I don’t know what I was thinking, coming to a school like Hope’s Peak.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I told him. “You’re Ultimate Moral Compass. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

He nodded, hugging his arms close to his chest. “Thank you, Mukuro. I just feel… everyone is so devoted to their passions. I don’t belong here. These kids. They have dreams and goals. They have futures. Me? I’m not remarkable. I’m not the smartest one here, or the fastest, or even the richest. I study, and not even as much as I ought, I listen to top 40, I can talk to most people but didn’t have too many close friends, this silly committee position is the only real accomplishment I have, and all my job really is... is to make sure that everyone gets along. I don’t even know who I am or what I like. I’m afraid… I’m afraid of graduating and the world is gonna realize ‘there’s a kid that stands for nothing’. I’m beyond ordinary.”

“Makoto, I guarantee you’re overthinking this,” I said. “You don’t have to have your life planned out. You know what’s better than devoting your life to a crazy specific talent? Knowing how to adapt. Knowing how to work with others. Knowing how to help people. _Wanting_ to help people. I’ve been in the workforce; adults respect those traits. I’m telling you…” I quickly looked down at the floor, hoping he wouldn’t see my face, “you’re a lot more extraordinary than you think.”

“Wow...You really think so?” asked Makoto.

“Yeah, well…” I grunted, clearing my throat and looking down at the ground. “I, uh… I’m sure the others would agree.” I fidgeted around a bit, staring intently at my shoes. “They’d feel the same way. We’re all glad you’re here.”

Some people in particular seemed glad that he was here, but I wasn’t about to air anybody’s dirty laundry.

He smiled that brilliant smile of his. “Thanks, Mukuro.”

I nodded, still red in the face. “Now, uh, it’s been a hot minute,” I said, hastily changing the subject. “How are the boys?”

Makoto peaked through the window again. “Uh… Fine. Alive,” he said, but the the expression of worry still weighed on him, brow furrowed heavily as he frowned.

I could hear the two of them talking from the inside. They were being pretty loud, as always.

“H-Hey, Mondo.”

“What asshole?”

“You can take off your uniform, you know. Go ahead, I won’t judge.”

“And you can shut the fuck up and mind your own business. I mean look at you.”

I shot Makoto a look, hiding a snort behind my hand. He shook his head at me disapprovingly.

A few minutes passed.

Then a few dozen minutes.

I was getting antsy. “Let me see,” I said, nudging Makoto aside so that I could look. To my surprise, he moved aside for me without much protest.

Despite my agitation, I bit back a laugh. Mondo had a towel draped over his hair; how its integrity hadn’t been compromised was anyone’s guess. As expected, he was fully clothed, drenched with sweat. Surprisingly, he seemed to be holding it together better than Taka, who was wearing nothing but a towel and was already looking pretty worn.

Two revved up jocks sitting in the sauna. To see this sort of stunt pulled by an Ultimate Martial Artist wasn’t much of stretch, but I hadn’t presumed Taka to be the type to be all fixated on machismo. I really didn’t know people at all. Maybe I really was losing my touch.

Their faces were scrunched up in intense concentration. The mix of the sweat and the steam and the heat and the muscles was verging on a repulsive sight.

“Hey guys, are you sure you don’t want to just call it a day?” I asked.

“BACK OFF!” they yelled at the same time.

“Okay, okay…”

“Mukuro, you can be sure it will be done with soon enough!” said Taka.

“You sure about that, asshole?” asked Mondo. “Because I can stay here as long as it takes. So unless you’re thinking of backing down, we ain’t goin’ anywhere!”

I smiled wryly. “Gotcha.”

More minutes passed. Makoto and I made idle chatter, every once in a while checking on the door.

It was getting close to an hour.

I heard Taka’s voice.

“D-Don’t you think… it’s about time… you gave up?”

“What about you? You can’t even hardly talk… dumbass.”

“Say wh-whatever you want… I’m still totally… good to go! In fact, I’m starting to feel… kinda cold!”

“That’s… prolly not good.”

Curiosity getting the better of me, I peeked inside again. At that point, they were both breathing heavily, chests heaving up and down. If truth be told, Taka looked close to passing out, but I had a pretty good feeling I would get yelled at if I came in there and tried to stop them.

I tried to reason with them just one more time. “Look,” I said, “I know you guys are trying to prove who’s the bigger badass or whatever....”

I rolled my eyes. _Men_.

“But,” I continued, “I think you’re good, ya know? I think you’ve made your point. You’re both very tough and very strong. I mean, you don’t gotta prove anything to me, anyways.” I didn’t know if they could see me through the all the condensation on the window, but I put on my best flirtatious smile.

_Maybe if I could flatter their egos..._

It didn’t even phase them.

Just then, the bell went off and Monokuma made his usual Night Time announcement.

I scowled, annoyed at my failed persuasion skills. “Makoto,” I hissed to him, nodding in the direction of the door and moving aside.

“Right!” He took my place in an instant. “Guys, it’s Night Time. Don’t you think it’s time for you to just call it a tie?”

“In a true competition… there’s no such thing as a tie!” wheezed Taka.

Yep, he was definitely breathless.

“You win, or you lose. That’s… the only thing that matters!”

_Ugh._

I didn’t say anything, but I was tired of all the zero-sum game talk. It was exhausting.

Mondo laughed at Taka, but when he did, it was equally as short-winded. “Listen to you… you son of a bitch!” There was something wild and almost devilish about the look in his eyes.

“Th-This isn’t good, guys,” said Makoto.

I suddenly remembered the promise I’d made to Junko.

“Crap!”

Makoto quickly looked to me. “What is it?”

“Nothing, nothing,” I said. I didn’t want him to worry about me. “I just remembered, I have an obligation. You know, Junko, sisterly things, duty calls. I told her that I’d see her after dinner. I can’t keep her waiting, or she’ll be pissed.”

“Oh, well… alright.”

Perhaps it was my imagination, but he looked a touch crestfallen.

The moment passed, and he smiled. “Well, best if we not keep you. I will see you again tomorrow!”

“Of course.” I smiled.

The two guys were not done.

“Yeah, while we’re on it, Taka, why don’t.... don’t you go with her? You look about… ready to give up!”

“Never! I’m just… just getting started! Makoto, why don’t… don’t you just… go! Go on ahead with Mukuro, this’ll be over soon enough!”

“Are you sure?” asked Makoto, but he was wringing his hands anxiously, eyeing the exit.

“GO!” they bellowed, and they absolutely did not need to tell us twice.

—

Once out in the hall, I turned to Makoto.

“Hey, thanks for at least trying to talk to them back there. I certainly couldn’t do it.”

He frowned. “I supposed. I feel like I failed. I’m worried. What if they push themselves too hard?”

We continued to walk and talk over to the dorms.

“They’re smart. Well… Taka is there, and he’s reasonably smart. Well. He can be responsible, anyway. When he wants to be.”

He nodded, obviously still not convinced.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how much I’d convinced myself either. I was worried, too, but I wasn’t about to sit there all night. And really, my sister always came first.

“If it makes you feel any better,” I said, “you didn’t do any worse than me. Maybe if I were Junko, or Sayaka, I could’ve...”

“Why do you say that?” asked Makoto.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe because they’re beautiful and charming and charismatic and stuff like that.”

“True, to be fair, I’m starting to think that nobody in the world could talk those guys down once they get going. And Junko isn’t always the most compassionate type,” said Makoto. “No offense!” he added hastily.

I shrugged. “She probably wouldn’t be bothered by you saying that.”

“Besides,” said Makoto, ignoring my comment and continuing. “Who cares about all that! They’re not you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I care about them very much, but Junko is Junko, and Sayaka is Sayaka. And you’re you! I like you the way you are! You shouldn’t wish to be any different!” He was so unbelievably earnest.

I blushed for what felt like the millionth time. “Thank you, Makoto. That means a lot.”

“Of course! We’re friends, right?”

“Yes, why would you ask that?”

“I just wanted… to… to check.”

I chuckled, pausing outside Junko’s room. “Alright, well, goodnight then, Makoto.”

“Goodnight, Mukuro.”

—

Upon waking, I sat up straight away upon realizing I’d slept through Monokuma’s morning announcement. Thoughts of last night rushing back to me, I dressed more quickly than usual, more than a little worried about what might have transpired last night. Loud and obnoxious as those to could be, I didn’t want anything to happen to them. Really, my annoyance held no real malice; I supposed it could have been similar to the way one was annoyed to a brother. I just hoped they didn’t get carried away.

I rushed over to the dining hall, only to enter to the sound of boisterous laughter.

“What the...”

Monda and Taka were arm in arm beside each other, laughing and joking and smiling like nothing had even transpired the previous day.

“What’re you talkin’ about, bro?”

“Really now! You shouldn’t tease me, brother!”

At that moment, Leon walked in, and upon seeing the two of them together like this scratched his head and muttered, “What the crap?”

He pulled up a seat next to Hina and Makoto. I followed suit, finding a spot nearby to sit between Sayaka and Junko.

“It’s so weird,” said Makoto. “They’re acting like they’ve been best friends the whole time.” He looked to me. “What on earth happened?”

Hina took a draft of her morning protein shake. “Heck if I know, but they’ve been like this all morning. Is it weirding you out as much as it’s weirding me out?”

We all glanced over at them again. Mondo and Taka were still laughing it up, too absorbed to even notice anybody else was there.

“Yeah,” said Leon. “Now that you mention it.”

“I don’t know,” I mused. “Maybe this’ll be good for them.”

Hina and Leon both looked at me like I was crazy.

“All I’m saying,” I said, considering my words, “is that… they were at each other’s throats pretty bad yesterday. Maybe this is a good thing.”

Makoto nodded. “If it means we’re all getting along, at least…”

“Fair enough,” said Hina, but she was still pouting. “But they’re just so _loud_.” She covered her ears just as Mondo’s booming laughter rung throughout the cafeteria again.

“Hey, Mukuro!”

At hearing my name, I glanced over to see Mondo waving at me with a huge grin on his face.

I offered the smallest of waves back.

“Mukuro! How magnificent to see you again!” said Taka. “Thank you so much for acting as our witness yesterday!”

“Sorry, you did what now?” asked Leon, gaping at me.

I grit my teeth, hoping beyond hope that I wasn’t going red. All the same, I could feel my ears starting to burn. “It’s nothing,” I said through my teeth. “Just some dumb contest they wanted me to ref. Makoto was there, ask him about it.”

“Hm?” asked Makoto. “Oh! Y-Yeah, I was. Now that you mention it...” he turned to Mondo and Taka, “Who won the contest?”

“Who gives a shit!” roared Mondo, smile gone in an instant.

Taka scowled, snapping on the defensive and coming to his new bro’s aid. “Yeah, don’t ask stupid questions! What matters is that we both took part in it together!”

“That’s… not what you were saying yesterday,” said Makoto.

“Forget yesterday!” said Taka. “Forget, Forget, Forget Beam!” He made a weird beam gesture with his hands, and the two of them laughed, putting their arms around each other once more.

“Nice one, bro!”

Junko groaned, rubbing her temples. “Hey! Pipe the fuck down, will you?” she called. “No shouting until after I’ve had my coffee.”

“Ignore her, bro!” said Taka. “She couldn’t possibly hope to understand our _manly bond_.”

“Damn straight!”

Junko rolled her eyes. “I don’t think I’m missing out on much.”

As annoyed as everyone seemed to be, in the end, I didn’t really mind. They could have their fun. I was sick of competitions and zero-sum games.

Sayaka frowned. “Friendship between men is so strange,” she mused. She was looking very pretty as usual, hair tied with the same large pink bow she often wore. How was she always so perfect? “It seems very…”

_Simplistic?_

She looked to me. “Simplistic.” Before I could even question how she guessed, she added, “Intuition.” She smiled, taking my hands in hers. “It’s just not the same as friendships I’ve experienced with girls, don’t you agree?”

I sputtered incoherently. If I was worried about blushing before, I definitely was now.

Junko snorted. “Someone’s starstruck. I didn’t know you two were so close.”

I didn’t answer.

Taka hardly seemed to register our conversation. “Friendship between men is stronger than blood!” he said. “A woman like her could never understand!”

“Well said, bro!”

Hina was sitting in silence, drinking her protein drink. She didn’t look up or say anything to the rest of us, which was quite unlike Hina.

Sayaka rose to her feet, letting go of my hand. “Hina, come with me to the kitchen, will you?”

“Huh? Oh, sure...” She got up, shooting Sayaka a wary look.

I watched them go, the two girls so graceful and beautiful, Sayaka taking Hina’s hand where she once held mine.

Chihiro teetered in on dainty, unsteady legs with an adorable yawn.

“Hello, dearie,” said Junko. “What brings the early bird here at this hour?”

“Huh?” asked Chihiro. “Oh! I overslept.” Her eyes darted over to Mondo and Taka. “What is going on over there?”

“That?” said Junko. “Ignore them, they’ve fallen into a deep, passionate bromance that with our luck will be as eternal as it is fraternal.”

Chihiro watched them, transfixed and eyes wide. “Ahhhh. I see now.” She was absolutely starry-eyed.

I shot her a questioning look. “What’re you hungry for?” I asked, changing the subject as I got up from my chair.

“Huh?”

“I’ll get you something. Come with!”

She seemed surprised when I took her hand and led her to the kitchen. I felt a twinge of guilt. Really, it was just curiosity getting the better of me, wondering what Sayaka and Hina were up to.

“Huh? Oh, sure…”

Upon entering the kitchen, Sayaka and Hina turned to look at us.

Hina waved, sitting on the counter and munching on packet donuts.

“Hello, there!” said Sayaka. She was stirring something over the stovetop. “Sorry about taking up all the space, I can make room if you need to use a burner.”

“Oh, thank you, Sayaka,” said Chihiro, “but I think I’ll just have a cup of coffee.”

“You sure?”

“Positive, but I appreciate the offer.” Chihiro’s little smile was heartwarming.

“I’ll start that for you,” said, grabbing the pot so that I could put it in the brewer.

“You don’t have to—”

“I got it. What are friends for?” I said, but my eyes were watching Sayaka.

Sayaka tapped her spoon, setting it aside momentarily to check on Hina. She put her hands on Hina’s shoulders. “Are you alright?”

Hina nodded, pausing to chew and swallow her half-eaten donut. “Really, Sayaka. I’m okay! You don’t have to keep asking,” she said.

“I know,” said Sayaka. “I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to hear all that chummy friend talk. I’m sure this must be very hard for you—”

“I said, I’m fine,” said Hina, perhaps a little bit more insistent than before. “I wasn’t even thinking about… you know.”

“I realize, but just know that I am here.”

“Look, I know what you’re thinking, but Sakura and I were... “ She looked down at her hands, picking at her nails. “We were never that close. I mean we weren’t like _that_ ,” she said, gesturing to the cafeteria door. By that, she could only mean like Taka and Mondo. “I didn’t… I guess I really understand her at all, did I?” She began to sob. “I loved her so much, and she didn’t even know.”

Seeing her sobbing, I knew I had to say something.

“It’s okay if you didn’t know her,” I said. “Sometimes, you can just… feel it.”

“F-Feel what?” asked Hina.

I could feel everybody’s eyes on me. “That... they’re important to you. The people who change your life aren’t always around for as long as you expect. Or... wish. It’s not about the amount of time, it’s about what you did with it.”

Sayaka was beaming. “Profound as always, Mukuro.”

“Or pretentious,” I said, laughing weakly to diffuse the tension. “So take it with a grain of salt.”

Hina smiled, sniffing and wiping her eyes. “No, that… makes me feel better.”

“We’re here for you,” said Sayaka. “Us girls, we gotta look out for each other. Isn’t that right, Chihiro?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, of course,” she squeaked.

Returning to the cafeteria, Hina was back in high spirits. She was chatting with Sayaka. I stayed behind with Chihiro, standing a ways away.

Chihiro took a sip of her coffee, watching the others in the dining hall. “Um… I’m curious.”

I looked to her. “About?”

“Mondo and Taka. They are getting along so much better. What happened?”

I shrugged. “There was an argument and a whole ordeal about a contest and—”

“Contest?”

“Yeah,” I said. “To see who was the strongest, or had the most endurance, or fortitude, or machismo or something.” When she looked mystified, I clarified. “They dragged me to the sauna to see who could last the longest. It was a whole _thing_.”

“I see…” she said. “So, who won?”

I shrugged again. “Hell if I know. They won’t say.”

Chihiro giggled. “I imagine that would have been very funny to see.”

“I guess,” I said. My gaze turned to Junko, who was in conversation with Leon. I frowned. “Sometimes I wish the men here would be a little less… hot-headed.”

“I suppose,” said Chihiro, but she wasn’t listening to me. She had that same starry-eyed expression as earlier. “Still, you have to admire the confidence.”

“If that’s what you call it.”

Our conversation was interrupted by loud bells and static.

Everyone turned their heads to the sight of Monokuma on the monitors. “Ahem! This is a school announcement. Everyone gather in the gym. _Emergency! Emergency!_ ”

The screen blacked out. We all stood silently, watching each other with expressions of anxiety.

Makoto frowned. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

I shook my head. “Neither do I.”

“But,” said Makoto. “... It’s probably best to just do what he wants.”

“What?” said Mondo. “You’re just gonna roll over for him like that?”

“Listen,” he said. “I’m not any happier about this than you guys. I doubt this is anything good, but… we have to be smart about this.”

Hina groaned. “Let’s just go and get this over with!”

And so we did.

—

Upon entering the gym, the remaining students were waiting for us. Byakuya and Celeste were just as blasé as ever, but Toko looked seriously apprehensive.

I watched her. “You alright, Toko?”

She eyed me suspiciously, not replying but shaking her head vigorously.

“What took you so long?” asked Byakuya.

Junko rolled her eyes. “Sorry, the ominous announcement didn’t exactly liven up the mood. Not as saunter-on-in kind of moment. We may have been dragging our feet a little, ya know?”

Celeste nodded curtly in greeting. “What a strange announcement. Curious, is it not?”

“If by curious you mean weird as fuck, then yeah,” said Leon. “Is everyone here? I don’t like the vibe of this, gives me the creeps.”

At that exact moment, Hiro barged in. “Hey, I’m here, man, got lost on the way to the dining hall! Didn’t mean to keep y’all waiting, that’s on me.”

“Y-Y-You s-sure took your—your sweet time!” said Toko.

“Hey! I’ll have you know, I have a perfectly good excuse for why I’m late!” said Hiro.

“Let me guess, is it aliens?” asked Junko.

“Not everything is about the aliens, Junko,” said Hiro. “Sometimes it’s the illuminati,” he added hastily before continuing, “I got distracted.”

“By the illuminati?” asked Hina.

“No, by the noises!” said Hiro. “That’s why I was late. I could’ve sworn I heard something outside the dorms!”

“Noise?” asked Taka. “What sort of noise?”

“Well…” said Hiro, ignoring Taka’s intense gaze. He stroked his barely-there stubble. “It’s hard to tell, it was so faint, ya know? But if I _had_ to describe it, it sounded like… a construction site?”

“Ugh!” Toko shook her head, scoffing. “It’s p-probably just the rocks r-r-rattling around in—in that empty head of his!”

“For real,” said Junko. “And you’re saying nobody else heard these noises?”

“Well, no, but—”

“There you go,” said Junko, she said, waving her hand in a dismissive manner and looking to the rest of the group. “Next thing you know, he’ll be blaming it on ghosts or bigfoot or some other cryptid.”

“Ghosts are not cryptids, they are paranormal!” said Hiro. “If you knew the difference—”

“I believe you,” I cut in.

Everyone looked to me.

I nodded, noticing the surprise on both Hiro’s and Junko’s faces. I was going to remain resolute. “Yeah. I believe you, Hiro.”

“Mukuro, you’ve got to be kidding me,” said Junko.

“It’s ridiculous. What a waste of time,” said Byakuya.

“Maybe this means there are people outside!” said Hina. She’d been so defeated as of late that for a moment I was glad that she looked almost… hopeful.

“That’s exactly why I find it hard to believe,” said Byakuya.

“Let me try to understand,” said Celeste. “Hope’s Peak is in the middle of a dense urban area. If there are people around, surely help would’ve come by now. Is this what you mean?”

“Hmph.”

“Of course, there is the possibility that whoever it is in charge is so powerful that they also have control of the authorities,” said Celeste.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. “And what did I say about relying on the cops.”

“Screw the cops,” said Mondo. “What the fuck does it mean? Are there people outside or not?”

Taka gasped. “But… But if the police cannot help us then who—”

“No one,” said Byakuya. “The sooner you accept it, the sooner you accept reality.”

Chihiro sniffed. “Perhaps you guys are right… It really does seem impossible…”

“Quit saying stuff like that!” said Hina to Byakuya. “You’re sick, you know that?”

He smirked. “I’m just participating in the game.”

“What the fuck is your problem?” asked Leon.

“Who’s the one with the problem, here? The fact that you’re all so delusional that you’d rather live in denial of your situation… It’s almost admirable.”

“Shut! UP!” screamed Hina. “Just shut up!” She glared at him, fists clenched at her side as the tears began to pour.

“Quit talkin’ to her like that!” said Mondo. “Apologize to her!”

“For what?”

“Mondo is correct! Your actions are our of line! Apologize for speaking to her the way you do!” said Taka. “Have you no decency? Her friend is—”

“Dead!” screamed Hina. “She’s dead. Sakura is dead, and she’s not coming back. That’s me, the one with the d—dead friend, now can everyone stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

_“Say, is Hina crying again?”_

A familiar skin-crawling voice came from the overhead speakers.

All heads turned to the podium, our familiar captor springing out with a sickening grin we knew all too well.

“You!” said Leon, posture already on the defense.

“Ah, me,” said Monokuma with a sigh and a flutter of his hand. “Are really to rumble? Where’s Kyoko?”

“I am here.”

And all of sudden, she was, standing near the back entrance as if she’d been there all along.

“Fantastic!” He cackled. “And for the record, what Hiro heard wasn’t the sound of construction…”

We waited.

“W-well?” asked Toko. “Go on!”

“I am pausing for _dramatic_ _effect_ ,” said Monokuma. “Dun dun dun… It could have been the sound of an explosion!” He mock gasped. “Or maybe a machine gun!”

“What on earth…” said Makoto. “What are you talking about?”

“Ah-ah-ah! Beyond this point my mouth is zipped, my lips are sealed, I am fully puckered!”

“Enough,” said Kyoko. “Why did you bring us here?”

“Puhuhuhu! A little short-tempered are we? Very well, I will be frank. I’m not happy. Not happy at all. The next blackened hasn’t shown up yet, and I’m getting boooooooooored! So I figured, what you kids need is a new _motivation_! Quite brilliant, if I do say so myself.”

“What the hell?" asked Makoto. "You’re not showing us any more videos, are you?”

“I don’t know what you’ve got planned, but we’re not going to kill each other anymore!" said Taka. "No matter what you do, I swear to God we won’t!”

“Well, aren’t you speaking all grown-up like you’re in charge?” said Monokuma. “Awful self-centered, don’tcha think? We’ll see if you can keep that promise, Mr. Tough Guy. The motive this time is… _embarrassing memories and secrets!”_

_What?_

Makoto looked wary. “What do you—”

Monokuma was alight with glee. “As long as you’re alive, it’s a given that there’s things you don’t want people to know about you! So I did a little investigating of my own, and I dug up some of your darkest secrets!” He brandished a hand of tiny envelopes. “And those embarrassing memories and secrets are all contained right here!”

He tosses the envelopes at our feet. Each had a name written across the front, so I found the one with my name and quickly snatched it up.

Hands shaking, I struggled to pull out the note inside, but when I read it:

_Mukuro left her sister behind when she ran off to live with her mother._

My blood went cold.

A memory long suppressed and half forgotten emerged from deep within me. A train, a choice, two parents… and one sister left behind. _No one can know about this,_ was my first thought, but getting a better grip, I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. Maybe, doing that I could fight back the tears and the white hot shame in the pit of my stomach.

I heard the cries of shock from the others, mirroring how I felt on the inside. All of a sudden, restless voices and uneasy questions at once.

“H-How…?” said Hina.

“How’d you find out about this?” cried Taka, staggering back and eyes wide.

“What the fuck is this?” said Mondo.

Even Byakuya was shaken. “Impossible! H-How? How could you possibly know—”

Monokuma cackled. “You have 24 hours! If someone doesn’t become blackened by then… all your deepest, darkest, most _embarrassingest_ secrets will be exposed to the world!” He was jumping up and down in excitement. “Maybe I’ll roll by a crowded intersection in a van strapped with loudspeakers and spill the beans!” He was salivating;, at least I was pretty sure it was saliva. “Kyaaah! Wouldn’t that be sooo embarrassing?”

“You’re wrong!”

To see Makoto stand defiant in the fact of our captor, it shouldn’t have been unexpected. All this time, he’d never faltered, never stopped believing in us. Yet his conviction continued to surprise me. Even those among us with the stronger constitutions looked far too shaken to say much of anything.

“Nobody is going to murder someone over this!”

Monokuma slumped sadly. “Oh no… Really? This is kinda depressing. I have stuff I would never want the world to know, so I figured you guys would be the same way. Is it really true? Am I getting nothing?”

I couldn’t tell if he was faking or not.

He turned away from us. “Okay, then in 24 hours, I’ll expose all your secrets just to make myself feel a little better!”

With an almost convincing look of depressed dejection on his face, Monokuma receded into the gym’s depths.

Makoto took a deep breath, looking around at the other students. “How is everyone doing?” At seeing the expression on everyone’s faces, he muttered. “R-Right. That was a stupid question.”

“A-Alright,” said Taka. “We are all struggling to grasp the situation, but! I have a great idea I am positive just might work!” He managed a smile, but it held none of the self-congratulatory notes present in his tone.

“O-Okay…” said Makoto.

“I propose that we all confess our secrets right now!” said Taka. “If we do that, any and all motive for murder will vanish!” He paused. “I… I realize this will not be easy, but I think this is the smartest option we have. Best to rip it off like a bandaid, right?” He laughed, and he remained as loud as ever, but there was something strained about it.

“As much as I don’t like it…” said Makoto. “It might be our best shot. I don’t want to, but I… I’m willing to share if everyone can agree!”

“I will go first!” said Taka. “So, my embarrassing thing is—”

“Oooooh, shut it, will you?” said Toko. “No—Nobody wants t-t-to hear your—hear your stupid—your stupid story!”

“W-What?” asked Taka.

“Are you kidding me?” asked Junko. “This is the best you can some up with? Fuck it. Hey, Scholarship, maybe leave the thinking to the ones who weren’t selected from a lottery.”

“Wha—What do you… I didn’t mean, I was just trying to help!” said Taka. His eyes began to well up, and he wiped at them with his jacket sleeve before the tears could really start streaming.

“Hey, lay off, alright?” said Leon. “This is all kinds of layers of fucked up, and you’re just gonna make everything worse.”

“Alright, well, if you like the idea so much, why don’t you go first, prettyboy?” challenged Junko, folding her arms and staring him down. “Go ahead, we’re all ears.”

Leon chuckled in the same way he always did when he was nervous. “Me? Heh, see, well, the thing is that it’s kinda not something I’m super keen on sharing so…”

“That’s literally the entire point of the secrets in the first place,” said Byakuya.

“Yeah, but the thing about going first…”

“Awww, is someone scared?” said Junko, smirking.

I laid a hand on her shoulder. “Junko. Arguing will only make it worse,” I said, and I tried to sound strong despite my shaky tone. I was still reeling from earlier, and I was sure I must’ve looked as bad as I sounded. I was humiliated at the idea of telling Junko my secret. Would she remember? Would she hate me? But if it meant keeping everyone safe—if it meant keeping _her_ safe—I would do it.

I took a deep, shuddering breath. “Look. I don’t want to do this either, but I’m willing to put my feelings aside if it’ll keep everybody safe.” I stared intently at Junko, hoping that she could understand. I silently pleaded with her for forgiveness. Keeping her alive was my main priority. All else had to come after. “I say if we get a majority agreement, then we should go forth, no matter hard it is. Does that sound okay?”

“I’m with Mukuro,” said Kyoko.

As surprised as I was by her support, I was also grateful. Our eyes met, and I nodded a thank you to her.

“Th-That sounds fair,” said Makoto. “Any other thoughts?”

“I mean,” began Hina, “this is gonna be super embarrassing, but nobody has anything they’d actually kill over, right? Trust me, I’m not exactly excited about the whole idea, but if nobody else dies, it’d be worth it… right?" She shuddered. "That… that trial… I don’t want to go through anything like that ever again.”

“Y-Yeah, now that I think about it,” said Leon, “I think we oughta just get this over with.”

“I’m game if everyone else is,” said Hiro. 

“I d-d-don’t care what—what any of you h-have to—have to say about—have to say ab-bout me,” said Toko. “I don’t want t-to talk about it. I d-d-don’t care what you think, I don’t want to talk about mine!” She began to tug at her braids as she usually did when she was anxious, voice loud and shrill and a little pathetic. Despite the revulsion in her eyes as she glared at us, I felt a pang of sympathy for her.

“T-Toko, it’s okay—” began Makoto, but he was interrupted by Celeste.

“I’m afraid that I am going to have to side with Toko,” said Celeste, with a forlorn frown. “I feel that it would be quite impossible to share mine as well.”

“I second,” said Hiro.

“What are you talking about?” said Leon. “Literally just two seconds ago you were a ‘yes’!”

“I’m playing it by ear,” said Hiro. “Gotta go with my gut on this one. I know when I’m outnumbered.”

“Make a choice already!” said Leon.

“Guys,” said Hina. “Let’s not fight, okay?”

“Hina is right,” said Makoto. “This is exactly what the mastermind wants!”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned there’s no need to continue. I’m begrudged to agree with the others,” said Byakuya. “There’s no need to discuss it.” By this time, he had recovered from his state of panic and was back to his usual disinterested self. “So we can give up on this ridiculous idea.”

“Right, because everything is all about you, now?” said Leon.

“I’m sorry, isn’t it always?” said Junko.

“I’m surprised we’re getting so many protests,” said Kyoko.

Junko scoffed. “Get the fuck out of here, Kyoko. You never tell us anything.”

“I don’t like this, but I’d much prefer to tell everyone myself than to have it revealed against my will. I figured there would be more people who see it this way.”

“Like you don’t have something to hide, Ultimate Soldier,” said Junko. “How do we know you’re secret isn’t your body count?”

I cut in. “Junko, that’s enough.”

Kyoko stiffened. “Well... I’ll leave it up to the rest of you to decide whether we come forth with our secrets. Or not.”

“Well, if you want to know all my dark and dirty secrets, I’m afraid you guys are gonna have to keep dreaming. I mean, are you kidding? No way in hell am I doing this,” said Junko.

I frowned. “Come on, Junko. This is important.”

She gave me a look. “Yeah, and it’s important that I don’t humiliate myself. Why can’t you back me up just for once!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, the hurt of her accusation mingling with the already building weight of the secret on my chest, making me feel even worse than before.

“You’re supposed to have my back!” There was no stopping her as she screamed at me, voice ringing throughout the gym as everyone watched with uncomfortable expressions. “You always do this! Why can’t you be on my side?”

“I’m on your side! I just—”

“I can’t believe you. Fine then, side with the Pity Invite, but I’m not telling anyone shit. Some of us have actual careers on the line, you know? But I doubt that’s something he’d be thinking about. I’d probably die of shock if Mr. Lottery Pick has anything noteworthy to hide.”

“Hey, fuck off!” said Mondo. “I don’t see any of you guys offering any better ideas! So unless you come up with some brilliant solution, why don’t you just shut the fuck up already?”

Taka had stopped crying, but he looked a real mess. “Mondo?”

Mondo sighed, hanging his head and avoiding his bro’s eyes. “You know I always got your back, bro, but… If everyone is so against it, there’s not much I can do. Besides, ‘s much as I hate to admit it… she’s gotta point. Some of us have more at stake, ya know?”

Taka nodded. “F-Fine,” he said. “I—I trust your judgement. Forget what I said, it was… it was beyond stupid. I am ashamed for even proposing it!”

“It wasn’t stupid, Taka,” I said. “Frankly, I think it would be better for all of us to take charge of our own narratives, rather than leaving them in the hands of that… that _monster_.” I practically spat out the word. I hated even thinking about him. “But... I’m afraid if Junko doesn’t want to, then… I’m not going to leave my sister’s side on this.”

“V-Very well,” said Taka.

“Chihiro? Sayaka?” I asked. “You both have been awful quiet on this one.”

Chihiro bowed her head solemnly. “Sorry, Taka. I… I can’t. N-Not right now.” She blinked back tears. “But, I promise I won’t leave things like this,” she said, her her voice surprisingly resolute. “I wish I was strong enough to tell you all, but… I’m not. Not yet. When I’m stronger, that’s when I will tell you.”

“It’s okay, Chihiro,” I said, not wanting her to cry. “Sayaka?”

She hadn’t said a single word since Monokuma announce the new motive, and it wasn’t until now that I realized she was trembling.

“Sayaka?”

Her face was completely ashen, eyes wide but appearing to see nothing.

“Sayaka, what’s the matter?” asked Hina.

She just shook her head, shrinking in on herself. She looked so small and helpless.

“Leave her alone,” said Junko. “What could anyone possibly have on perfect little Sayaka, anyway? Even the mastermind of all evil.”

I hated seeing her like this. “Y-Yeah, I think that’s enough for now.”

“Th-That’s okay,” said Taka. “It’s just a few secrets, I’m sure nobody’s about to kill anybody over it.”

“Me, too,” said Makoto. “We’re stronger than this. I… I’m choosing to believe in friends. I know you’re good people. We’re strong, and the mastermind is going to pay for this. We need to be standing together. Even if we’re not at the point where we can admit these secrets to each other… We all have until tomorrow to prepare for the reveal, okay? You’re not alone. If you need help in any way, don’t be afraid to come to me.”

Makoto’s eyes met mine and I nodded in reassurance. Still, the fear that had begun to settle continued to gnaw at my insides. But I could only hope that his belief was correct.

Of course, Byakuya was here to ruin the mood.

“Well, I suppose we’ll see, won’t we? I wouldn’t be so certain. You’re kidding yourself if you only judge others by your own narrow perspective.”

“Oh, kinda like how you’ve spent this whole time being an ungodly ginormous prick to the rest of us?” said Junko, eyeing him shrewdly.

“Guys, come on! This is insane! What the hell is going on?” asked Hiro. “This isn’t serious, right?”

Celeste sighed. “And instantly you go to the state of denial.”

“For fuck’s sake, Hiro!” said Junko. “We literally just had a whole argument about it! You were involved!”

“Hey!” said Hiro. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it! I mean, think about it! This is banana peels, even for me! How’d the mastermind even get his hands on this kind of information?”

“I swear to god if you suggest it’s the work of the fey I’m killing everyone in this room and then myself,” muttered Junko.

“Don’t be mean! Come on, I’m being serious here! Who has this kind of power?”

“Laugh all you want, he’s asking the right questions,” I said. 

“Someone with enough power to prevent our rescue and get their hands on the darkest secrets of every person in this room?” asked Chihiro. “I wonder…”

“My thinking is that it might be some sort of cult,” said Hiro. “You know, some sort of death cult that rounds up people for torture and human sacrifice!”

“God, you are the worst,” said Junko, groaning and rubbing her forehead.

“Well, do you think it could be…” said Chihiro, and I waited for her to say something but she seemed to have changed her mind. “Never mind.”

“Let’s hear it,” said Kyoko.

“Oh, o-okay,” said Chihiro. “I just think, even if it’s not a cult, the mastermind being someone with a thirst for blood might not be a complete stretch…”

“I see what you mean,” said Kyoko. “Are you referring to anyone in particular?”

“W-Well,” said Chihiro, going at little red at everyone’s eyes on her. She probably wasn’t used to the attention. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading on unsolved cases,” she began, “So… do you think our captor could be a serial killer?”

“Holy shit,” whispered Junko.

“Wh-What do you mean, Chihiro?” asked Hina.

“I—I know it sounds ridiculous, but—”

“Are you suggesting that a serial killer would have the motive and drive to lock up and torture students such as ourselves?” asked Celeste. “As far fetched as it might be, I will admit your theory does have… some form of compelling logic.”

“Perhaps it’s a stretch,” said Chihiro. “But there are articles on Sparkling Justice and Genocide Jack in the library, so—”

“So then our warden is the Ultimate Murderous Fiend?” asked Byakuya. He had a wicked glint in his eye that sent a chill down my spine. “Your evidence is practically nonexistent, but the idea is certainly interesting.” He chuckled.

“God, I changed my mind, _you_ are the worst,” said Junko. “I’ll take the paranoid conspiracy theorist over the emotionally stunted incel.”

Before they could devolve into an argument, a voice interrupted.

“That’s enough,” said Kyoko. She folded her arms, stern gaze piercing as ever. “It’ll soon be tomorrow. I suggest everyone take the time they need to prepare.”

“Y-Yes,” said Makoto. “So don’t do anything hasty.”

I was left with an anxiety that couldn’t shake, but… we left things as they were, and left things as they lay. One by one, we headed back to our rooms.

Once in the hall, I turned to my sister. “Junko…”

Junko turned away. “Don’t talk to me,” she said, clearly still angry with me from earlier.

Before I could say any more, she stormed off.

Left alone, I returned to my room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all! Writing is hard! Mukuro & Hiro is a good friendship that has no basis in canon but i love it!
> 
> Please comment! Criticism or just something very short, i really don't care, comments give me life!


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